Journalist asked to appear before House panel for anti-Odisha jibe

A house committee constituted by the Odisha Assembly on Friday decided to issue notice to journalist Abhijit Iyer Mitra for his alleged derogatory remarks against the state, its culture and the lawmakers.

The committee headed by Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra decided to issue a notice to Iyer Mitra to appear personally before the panel on October 11 for breach of privilege as he also allegedly hurled abuses at Odisha legislators.

Mishra said Iyer Mitra has been asked to appear before the committee on October 11.

"It has been decided to issue a notice to Iyer Mitra to appear in person before the House committee on October 11, 2018. He is urged to remain present at 11 a.m. on October 11 of the Odisha Assembly," Mishra, the chairman of the committee, told reporters.

"The House Committee called the DGP, Intelligence Director and media channels and recorded their statements. The reports published in newspapers and people heard and watched on media channels are apparently true," said Mishra.

He said the panel will probe whether the criticism is breach of privilege of the House.

Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat had constituted the House Committee to probe the derogatory remarks by the journalist. It is scheduled to submit its probe report on the first day of the next session of the assembly.

Iyer Mitra, who had come to Odisha on September 15, had posted a video on Twitter with alleged derogatory remarks about the Konark Sun Temple, Jagannath Temple, Odisha culture and the lawmakers.

He was arrested by Odisha Police with the help of Delhi Police on September 20. Later, he was granted conditional bail.

--IANS

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