Woman Journalist Accuses Producer Tutu Nayak Of ‘Slapping’ Her While Covering Event In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: Even as the controversy surrounding ban on actor Manoj Mishra continues to simmer, Odia producer Sanjay Nayak aka Tutu Nayak has again landed in trouble.

A woman journalist, working with ETV Bharat, has filed a complaint with Kharavela Nagar Police, accusing him of slapping her without any provocation while covering a film release event at a theatre in the city on Friday. “Film producer Tutu Nayak slapped me on the face without any reason and hurled abuses at me. It happened so suddenly that I dropped my boom and mobile phone on the ground. As I was picking up the boom and phone, he again hit me on the back,” said the victim, Debasmita Rout, in her complaint.

The incident took place at Sriya-Swati Talkies here around 12.50 pm.

Speaking to the media, Rout said that she felt humiliated as the producer went away smiling when he should have apologised to her for his behaviour.

Based on her complaint, police have initiated a probe and are scanning the CCTV footage at the theatre to verify the allegation. An FIR has also been registered against Tutu Nayak under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 294 (use of obscene words) and 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the IPC.

The producer, on the other hand, is yet to react to the allegations.