Kamal Ghorui
KOLKATA: BJP MLA and Bengali film actor Hiraan Chatterjee‘s wife, Anindita, filed an FIR accusing him of mental and physical cruelty, and of entering into a second marriage without obtaining a divorce. Cops said they have started a probe but are yet to question the actor-MLA.Anandapur Police Station on Thursday registered a case under sections 82 (1) (marrying again during the lifetime of husband or wife), 85 (cruelty) and 54 (abetment) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Besides Hiraan, whose official name is Hiraanmoy Chattopadhyay, the FIR also names Rittika Giri, a model and the woman he is alleged to have married.
Hiraan found himself at the centre of controversy after photos of his second marriage surfaced online on Jan 20. The photographs showed Hiraan and Rittika performing traditional Hindu wedding rituals in Varanasi. The images, which showed Giri in a red Banarasi saree and the MLA in a yellow kurta, were initially shared on Hiraan’s social media account before being deleted, fuelling speculation and public scrutiny. In her complaint, Anindita said she and Hiraan were legally married since Dec 11, 2000, and that they are neither separated nor divorced. She alleged that she endured years of mental and physical torture but chose to remain silent for the sake of their daughter and the family’s reputation. Speaking to media persons after filing the complaint, Anindita said she was “humiliated and heartbroken” to learn of her husband’s wedding through social media posts.“Hiraan cheated on me repeatedly, but I kept forgiving him since I did not wish to end the marriage. I came to know through social media he was vacationing in Vietnam with Rittika Giri, whom he claims to have married,” she said.She said that Hiraan had been inaccessible for a long time. “I really don’t know what he wants, for he told me often that Rittika was blackmailing him and that they had no relationship,” she said.Police records show that both Anindita and Hiraan are listed as residents of a complex in Anandapur, while Hiraan is also shown as residing in Kharagpur. Rittika’s address is recorded at Gokulpur Station Road in Kharagpur.An officer said legal notices will be issued to all concerned to join the probe. No arrest has been made so far.Rittika responded to the allegations through a social media post, rejecting claims of illegality and misinformation about her age. She said Anindita was sent a legal divorce notice. She said she has been in a relationship with Hiraan for five years, of which Anindita knew. The post is not available online now. Anindita dismissed the claims as false.TOI made repeated attempts to reach Hiraan but calls and messages went unanswered.
