Woman BJD leader accuses party MLA of misbehaviour

A member of the Odisha Women's Commission and the ruling BJD on Monday accused a fellow party leader of "misbehaving" with her at his residence.

Tilottama Nayak, a BJD leader from Kalahandi district, levelled the allegation against the party's Jajpur MLA Pranab Prakash Das.

"Bobby Babu (the MLA's nickname) misbehaved with me following which I had an argument with him. Several other women were present. He also used abusive language while talking to them. If I am not safe from an MLA, how can I give security to other women," Nayak told reporters.

The alleged incident took place at the residence of Das in the city, when Nayak had gone to the law maker over a party-related matter.

The BJD and the MLA in question have not yet made any comment on the issue.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan sought a clarification from Patnaik.

"This is an unfortunate incident that a member of the state commission for women is harassed by a sitting MLA," Pradhan said.