Guwahati City Police on Monday have added Section 67A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, in the case already registered against singing icon Angarag Papon Mahanta for ‘inappropriately kissing’ a minor girl, videos of which went viral creating a country-wide uproar and condemnation.
The minor girl in question is a contestant of a singing reality TV show where Papon was a mentor.
Section 67A deals with ‘publishing or transmitting material containing sexually explicit act in electronic form’.
Following the controversy, Papon was relieved from the show by the channel authorities.
The Guwahati City Police, it is learnt, filed a petition in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup (Metro), on Monday for adding the new section.
Earlier a case was registered against Papon at Dispur Police Station on February 24 under Section 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, which deals with ‘aggravated sexual assault’, on the basis of a complaint filed by the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
A team of Guwahati City Police, led by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime), Rosie Kalita, which had gone to Mumbai to investigate the matter, came back on Monday.
It is learnt that the police team had recorded the statements of the girl, the producers of the show and others who were present at the spot when the incident happened.