Karnataka Women’s Commission has written to BJP’s candidate from Bangalore South parliamentary seat, Tejasvi Surya, asking him to personally appear before it in a case of harassment against woman, identified as Som Dutta. The women’s body in the state reacted after the Karnataka Congress filed an official complaint against Surya for allegedly physically and mentally abusing the woman.
Taking to Twitter, the Karnataka Congress wrote, “KPMC President @DrPushpaAmarnat, Smt Manjula Naidu and Mahila Congress team filed a complaint along with proof to the Women’s Commission against BJP candidate @Tejasvi_Surya for his derogatory messages against women on social media & his physical and mental abuse of a woman.”
KPMC President @DrPushpaAmarnat, Smt Manjula Naidu and Mahila Congress team filed a complaint along with proof to the Women's Commission against BJP candidate @Tejasvi_Surya for his derogatory messages against women on social media & his physical and mental abuse of a woman pic.twitter.com/xMxxMC3PMB
— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) March 29, 2019
The state unit of the Congress had earlier taunted asking if Surya was another MJ Akbar in the making after Dutta accused the BJP candidate of being a womaniser, wife beater.
Is @Tejasvi_Surya another MJ Akbar in the making?
Dear @BJP4India , @Tejasvi_Surya seems to be a great choice. #BangaloreSouth will remember. #MeToo#LokSabhaPolls2019 pic.twitter.com/G50tSax8Xo
— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) March 27, 2019
Pushpa Amarnath, the president of the Karanataka Pradesh Mahila Congress, too had taken to Twitter to inform how she had filed a complaint against Surya. She had written, “Filed a complaint at the Women Commission to Smt.Nagalakshmi Bai against the Bengaluru South BJP candidate @Tejasvi_Surya for his derogatory msg on social media & regarding the physical and mental abuse to Dr.Som Dutta, along with Former KPMC Pres Smt Manjula Naidu & my team.”
Filed a complaint at the Women Commission to Smt.Nagalakshmi Bai against the Bengaluru South BJP candidate @Tejasvi_Surya for his derogatory msg on social media & regarding the physical and mental abuse to Dr.Som Dutta, along with Former KPMC Pres Smt Manjula Naidu & my team. https://t.co/sgtNL11OE7
— Dr Pushpa Amarnath (@DrPushpaAmarnat) March 31, 2019
Amarnath, in her complaint, asked the women’s commission to provide security to Dutta, who had later deactivated her Twitter account. Amarnath wrote, “Since Tejasvi is a relative of BJP MLA Ravi Subramanya and has outside support of bigwigs of the party at the centre, the woman is facing threat to life. It is understood that the woman has now deleted her tweets allegedly fearing threat to life. Hence, the Women’s Commission must provide security to her. Considering media reports and tweets of the woman regarding the BJP candidate’s harassment, the Women’s Commission must take action against Tejasvi and provide security to the woman.”
Faced with adverse publicity, Surya had moved the court to get an injunction against nearly 50 media outlets from publishing any defamatory content against him on the subject.