Tanushree Dutta breaks silence on Nana Patekar getting clean chit in sexual harassment case

The revolutionary #MeToo movement in India hit an all-time-low when the Mumbai Police closed the sexual harassment case filed by former actress Tanushree Dutta against Nana Patekar on Thursday.

Reacting to the case closure, Tanushree has spoken up on her alleged harasser getting a clean chit from the police.

Calling both parties 'corrupt', Tanushree said, "At about 5 am, I got a call from a friend who told me about it. 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. 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 unite 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.”

The former Miss India added that she isn't disappointed that this has happened:

"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 judgement now is from God. I will continue this fight."

On Thursday, Mumbai police filed a ‘B Summary’ report in the case, which is submitted when there is insufficient evidence in support of the complaint lodged. 

Dutta's lawyer, Nitin Satpute said, "We haven’t yet received any official communication from the police yet. However, we will challenge the closure report."

Tanushree Dutta is credited to have started the #MeToo movement in India when in 2008, she accused an unnamed actor of misbehaving with her on the sets of film 'Horn OK Pleassss'.

In 2018, she returned to India from the US to disclose it was Nana Patekar.

A month later, Dutta filed a harassment case with the Mumbai police against Patekar.