Odisha: YouTuber Tapi Mishra arrested for cyber harassment and abuse of author

Odia YouTuber and actor, Saroj Mishra alias Tapi Mishra, was arrested on Wednesday (March 19) by the police in Bhubaneswar, and was sent to the Court for judicial proceedings.

Infocity Police in Odisha arrested Mishra on charges of online harassment and abuse directed towards Odia author, Banasmita Pati. Mishra has been booked under Sections 296, 75 (3), 351 (2), and 351 (4) of the BNS, as per a Sambad English report.

The police and law enforcement authorities have seized the relevant online posts and comments to verify the offensive nature of the remarks made by Mishra.

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Online spat turns ugly

The original post that started the barrage of demeaning comments by Mishra was a Facebook post made by Rakesh Roshan Mohanty. Mohanty posted a Facebook status on Monday (March 17) around 11 am regarding a controversial statement made by Mishra, according to a Kalinga TV report.

Pati responded to Mohanty’s post condemning Mishra’s statement and encouraged public discourse on said issue. Following her comment, Mishra tagged Pati and used obscene language, attempting to demean and harass her publicly.

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Pati lodged a formal complaint with the Infocity police, citing the gravity of the situation and the comments made. A case was registered against Mishra, and a probe has been launched to further investigate the incident.

According to media reports, the police said, “The comments made by Mishra towards the author were offensive in nature. These comments, intended to sexually harass and tarnish the complainant’s reputation, have caused significant harm to her public image.”

The police added that the investigation is ongoing.