Tanushree Dutta's claims against Nana Patekar not supported by witnesses: Indian police

Actor says that the witnesses are friends of Nana and will not vouch for her a

Tanushree Dutta's claims of #MeToo against fellow actor Nana Patekar couldn't be corroborated, Indian police said on Wednesday.

According to Pinkvilla, police sources said that none of the witnesses could confirm Tanushree's version of events. Even Daisy, who recorded her statement last November, told the police that she was not able to remember the details.

"Several statements in the matter have been recorded, but most of them don't support her allegations. The reason behind this is people cannot recall the incident. Some only remember about the delay during the shoot, but not about any harassment faced by the actor," a high-ranking police official said.

Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta gestures as she talks to reporters in Mumbai, India. PHOTO REUTERS

"As the matter is 10 years old, it's taking a lot of time to track down the people who were present at the time of the incident. The witnesses' statements are very important to take the investigation forward," the officer added.

Meanwhile, senior Police Inspector Shailesh Pasalwad declined to comment on the case as "the investigation is at a crucial stage".

The Aashiq Banaya Aapne actor has claimed that the witnesses are friends of Nana, and will not vouch for her allegations of sexual harassment.

"Who are these 15 witnesses? Are they from my side or Nana's side? They are Nana's friends, then why will they corroborate my story. I don't need witnesses to prove that I was harassed. The truth is sometimes difficult to prove in a court of law when it comes to harassment," she said.

PHOTO: NDTV

She expressed her dissatisfaction with the way that the investigation was conducted.

"The cops have been so slow with the probe. Most of the people from whom they are taking statements are the ones who watched me getting harassed and did nothing to support me. So why will they now speak in my support. The mentality of people is such that they will lie to protect such criminals and prove the woman wrong," she said.

Tanushree also alleged that witnesses who wanted to speak in her favour were being threatened and intimidated.

"Some of the witnesses who wish to give statements in support of my story are receiving threat calls from Nana's people. We have faced a lot of difficulty in convincing witnesses to give their statements, as they are scared," she shared. "So the people who know the truth are being hounded and replaced by fake witnesses who are speaking lies. But I still have faith that all the accused will be punished, because I am fighting this battle not for myself but for those who suffer silently everyday."

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