Prejudice, Pride And A Chopper Override

- Sandeep Sahu

DELHI-based defence analyst Abhijit Iyer- Mitra has completed one month in jail—for nothing more blasphemous than some ill-conceived, tasteless comments made in zest about Odisha, its people and some of its cultural icons. With the high court registry yet to list Abhijit’s bail petition, moved on Nov ember 16, he is likely to cool his heels in jail at least until next week. The Odisha government too is under fire from sections of the Indian intelligentsia over his arrest and continued incarceration.

“We moved the bail petition in the Orissa High Court on Friday,” Abhijit’s lawyer Nikhil Mehra tells Outlook over phone from New Delhi. “We have also prayed for early listing of the case. We are hopeful that it will be listed for hearing next week.”

While uncertainty looms over the hearing on the bail application, the defence analyst got some much-needed relief on another front when the privileges committee of the Odisha assembly decided to act “magnanimous” and accepted his “unconditional and unreserved” apology. “In view of the above, the committee recommends that the august house may be magnanimous to consider and accept the apology begged by Shri Abhijit Iyer-Mitra for his statement before the media against the hon’ble members of this august house and drop the matter,” the privileges committee said in its verdict on November 17. In an interview to Odia TV channel News 7 in New Delhi at the height of the controversy, Abhijit had called members of the Odisha assembly “buddu”.