Samant faces another complaint of sexual abuse in a car
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 01 October 2015 23:00 IST
A fourth woman journalist has now come forward to file a complaint of sexual harassment against Rupesh Samant, who allegedly tried to sexually abuse her in a car.
With this, there are now three complaints filed against him, with one lady journalist coming forward with supporting evidence in a first complaint filed a week ago.
The complaints started with two women journalists alleging that Samant was sending them lewd messages, making sexually coloured remarks and making physical advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures in 2012.
The second complaint was little more serious, with a charge of an act intended to insult the modesty of a woman for almost an year since 2014, in the office and taking her out at a restaurant.
And now the third complaint has alleged that Samant tried to sexually abuse her in a car, after luring her with a job offer, in 2013.
The police have once again slapped two sections of IPC – 354 (criminal force) and 509 (outraging modesty) against him.
Samant was working as a Goa bureau chief of Press Trust of India while also working as an anchor of HCN, a local cable TV channel.
Meanwhile, third attempt of women’s police station to serve him summons to appear for interrogation has failed.
The police have already opposed the anticipatory bail application Samant has filed, stating that he has not been responding to the summons and not cooperating with the investigation.
The Goa Union of Journalists, who has suspended Samant, has also alleged that he has been pressurising the victims.
His bail application would come up for hearing next Tuesday.
