Why no action taken against ex-MLA in harassment case: Gorhe

Deputy Chairperson of the Maharashtra Legislative Council Neelam Gorhe on Wednesday asked why the police took no action against former BJP MLA Narendra Mehta who had been accused of harassment by a woman.

Mehta was the Member of Legislative Assembly from the Mira-Bhayandar area near Mumbai before he lost the assembly poll last year. Shiv Sena's Manisha Kayande raised the issue in the Council during a discussion on her calling-attention motion on= the rising crime against women.

"The woman who is an active member of the BJP had complained of harassment by Mehta in 2016 as well as in July 2019," Gorhe noted. "I direct the home minister to probe and get information as to why no action was taken against Mehta despite couple of complaints," the deputy chairperson added.

Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said that he spoke to the woman on Tuesday night. "She assured me that she would file a police complaint against Mehta today. Once an FIR (First Information Report) is filed, we will proceed further," he said. The police had recorded Mehta's statement but no further action was taken, the minister informed. Notably, Mehta announced on Monday that he had resigned from all party posts.

READ: Maharashtra Assembly To Introduce Bill To Make Marathi Compulsory In Schools On Feb 27