A case has been registered against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra for a social media post allegedly outraging the modesty of a woman.
The complaint was filed by Rekha Sharma, the chief of the National Commission for Women (NCW).
The First Information Report (FIR) was lodged by the special cell of the Delhi Police on Sunday under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the new criminal code replacing the Indian Penal Code. This section pertains to words, gestures, or acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman.
The controversy began with Moitra’s reaction to videos showing Rekha Sharma meeting women injured in the Hathras stampede, where 121 people were killed. The videos depicted someone holding an umbrella for Sharma, and Moitra made a controversial "pajamas" reference in her post on X, which she later deleted. The police have since requested details about the post from the social media platform.
The NCW took immediate notice of the remark and sought legal action against Moitra.
In response, Moitra remained defiant, tagging the Delhi Police in a post on X and inviting them to arrest her. She indicated that she was in Nadia, West Bengal, and included a remark, "I Can Hold My Own Umbrella," directed at Sharma.
Moitra also highlighted previous tweets by Sharma, where the NCW chief made derogatory comments about political figures like RJD chief Lalu Yadav, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Moitra called for action against Sharma, whom she labeled a "serial offender."
This is not the first time Moitra has been embroiled in controversy. She was expelled from the Lok Sabha in December last year following an Ethics Committee report accusing her of accepting bribes, including ₹ 2 crore in cash and luxury gifts, from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for asking critical questions about the Narendra Modi government in Parliament. Investigations into these allegations are ongoing.