Editor of news portal detained for defaming Dutee Chand

Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police on Friday detained an editor of a local news portal for allegedly defaming India’s ace sprinter Dutee Chand by publishing derogatory and defamatory content.

Mahila Police detained the editor of a web channel, Sudhanshu Sekhar Rout, following harassment allegations levelled against him by Dutee Chand.

Police also questioned Rout after he was picked up from his office at Jharpara in Bhubaneswar. Police have also seized some documents, computer and hard disk from Rout’s office.

Dutee had filed a complaint against two city-based journalists and a social activist alleging that they had published objectionable content against her prior to the Tokyo Olympics, which had an adverse impact on her performance.

In her complaint, Chand alleged that the regional news portal interviewed her family members when she was in Tokyo and elicited a lot of private and personal information.

 “Based on the complaint received, the editor has been detained for questioning. We are verifying all the charges pressed against the journalists,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Umashankar Das said.