Video Of CDPO ‘Pushing’ Woman Clerk Off Chair In Odisha’s Nabarangapur Goes Viral; District Admn Starts Probe

Nabarangpur: The district administration has started an inquiry into a viral video in which a Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) allegedly pushed a senior woman clerk off her chair at Dabugaon office in Odisha’s Nabaragpur district.

According to sources, CDPO Gitanjali Maharana and head clerk Santoshi Mishra got into a heated argument over unresolved salary issue. Maharana soon lost her temper and pushed Mishra off her seat. Though the staff present at the office tried to stop Maharana, she paid no heed to them and went on hurling abuses at the head clerk.

The entire incident was captured by someone present in the office and subsequently the video was uploaded on a social media platform. As the video went viral, Nabarangapur collector ordered an inquiry into the incident. A two-member team led by District Social Welfare (DSW) officer Kamal Kumari Patnaik reached the CDPO office this morning and questioned the CDPO and the senior clerk about the incident. Patnaik was accompanied by Protection Officer Sasmita Mohanty.

The CDPO Gitanjali Moharana has denied any physical altercation with the head clerk. “When I returned from area visit, the clerk asked me about her salary and raised her voice. As a meeting was underway, I asked her to leave the room. I didn’t push her. The allegation against me is false and baseless,” she told the media.

Mishra, on the other hand, claimed that Maharana accused her of participating in a strike and threatened to mark the day as leave. The incident took place when she was defending herself by stating that she had arrived at the office and signed the attendance register.