'This is disgusting': Tanushree Dutta reacts to police closure of Nana Patekar harassment case

After the Mumbai Police closed the sexual harassment case filed against Nana Patekar, his accuser Tanushree Dutta has gone on record to say that she is disgusted but not surprised at these turn of events.

The police cited a lack of evidence as the reason for the case's closure. While speaking to an Indian publication from the US, Dutta asked how evidence could be produced if her witnesses were being intimidated into silence.

Dutta said, "I have also mentioned this earlier in an interview that our witnesses have been getting threat calls, and they are being intimidated and pressured in every way so that they do not record their statements with the police. We have 10 witnesses, out of which only one-and-a-half statements have been recorded. The others have not even come forward, as they have got threat calls."

"Cops say that there is lack of evidence. How will credible evidence be produced, if the accused is making sure that no evidence against him reaches the police? The witnesses that the police have recorded the statements (in his favour) from, are his friends. From the unit present during the time of the shoot back then, no one was really my friend. Also, the witnesses did not say nothing happened, they said, they don't remember anything," she added.

Dutta called out the blatant corruption of the Indian police and justice system, which also allowed the rape-accused Alok Nath to go scot-free.

"A corrupt police force and legal system giving a clean chit to an even more corrupt person Nana Patekar who has been accused even in the past of bullying, intimidation and harassment by several women in the film industry... I mean if rape accused Alok Nath got a clean chit and returned to movies then surely it was not going to be difficult for harassment accused Nana Patekar to get himself or shall we say buy himself a clean chit to continue to bully hapless young women,"

Dutta says she believed that Nana Patekar will soon return to films. "Disappointment happens when you are shocked about something. I didn't have much expectation from the harassment case. I also think Nana Patekar is desperately trying to come back to Bollywood and now, he wants his name to be cleared somehow. My only hope of judgment now is from God. I will continue this fight," she said.

In 2008, Dutta had said an unnamed actor misbehaved with her during a shoot; last year, she revealed that it was her Horn Ok Pleassss co-star Nana Patekar.

"He was grabbing me by the arms, pushing me around then he would ask the choreographers to move and teach me how to dance, and the next thing I know he wanted to do was an intimate sequence with me. It was ridiculous,” she said during an interview.

The alleged incident took place on the shoot of a special number for the film due to which she opted out of the appearance and was replaced by Rakhi Sawant.

The month following the allegation, Dutta went to the Mumbai police station and filed a written complaint against him.