Mumbai, June 14: Nana Patekar has been given a clean chit by the Mumbai police, after they could not find any evidence to support Tanushree Dutta’s claims that he sexually harassed her on the sets of Rakesh Sarang’s Horn Ok Pleassss in 2008. The police filed a B-summary report in the case, meaning that they could not find any proof against the accused to file a chargesheet and seek trial.
In an interview with Bombay Times, Tanushree Dutta called the development “disgusting” and claimed that there was no evidence because the statements of all her witnesses were not even recorded.
“This is disgusting, because Nana Patekar has been trying to get a clean chit for a while, now. I have also mentioned this earlier in an interview that our witnesses have been getting threat calls, and they are being intimidated and pressured in every way so that they do not record their statements with the police. We have 10 witnesses, out of which only one-and-a-half statements have been recorded. The others have not even come forward, as they have got threat calls,” she said.
“Cops say that there is lack of evidence. How will credible evidence be produced, if the accused is making sure that no evidence against him reaches the police? The witnesses that the police have recorded the statements (in his favour) from, are his friends. From the unit present during the time of the shoot back then, no one was really my friend. Also, the witnesses did not say nothing happened, they said, they don’t remember anything,” she added.
According to Tanushree Dutta, Nana Patekar “desperately” wants to return to films and is trying to get his name cleared by any means. “Disappointment happens when you are shocked about something. I didn’t have much expectation from the harassment case. I also think Nana Patekar is desperately trying to come back to Bollywood and now, he wants his name to be cleared somehow. My only hope of judgment now is from God. I will continue this fight,” she said.
In October 2018, Tanushree Dutta filed a complaint against Nana Patekar, alleging that he behaved inappropriately with her while shooting for a special song for Horn Ok Pleassss. However, he has denied that any such incident took place, stating that there were around 50 people on the sets that day in 2008.
Soon after Nana Patekar got a clean chit from the police, Tanushree Dutta expressed her unhappiness in a statement given to the media. “A corrupt police force and legal system giving a clean chit to an even more corrupt person Nana Patekar who has been accused even in the past of bullying, intimidation and harassment by several women in the film industry. Our witnesses have been silenced by intimidation and fake witnesses have been put forth to weaken the case,” she alleged.
The actress also hinted that he obtained the clean chit by underhand means. “I mean if rape accused Alok Nath got a clean chit and returned to movies then surely it was not going to be difficult for harrassment accused Nana Patekar to get himself or shall we say buy himself a clean chit to continue to bully hapless young women,” she said.
