BHAWANIPATNA: Hasina Nag of Salepali panchayat in Kalahandi, who grabbed headlines in 2019 for pressing sexual assault charges on the then sarpanch, is now contesting the upcoming rural polls. Hasina has filed nomination for the sarpanch post from Salepali panchayat.
Despite threats, she had lodged a complaint against then sarpanch Ramesh Chandra Sahu accusing him of seeking sexual favours from her in lieu of providing her a house under Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana (PMAY-G).
After investigation, Sahu was removed from the sarpanch post and is currently facing trial. Since the sarpanch post in Salepali has been reserved for SC women, 26-year-old Hasina has thrown her hat in the ring. “The tragic incident still haunts me after two years but I am determined to leave that behind and win the elections this time to ensure that poor people don’t get exploited at the hands of the rich,” said the sarpanch candidate. Despite hailing from a poor family, Hasina has completed BTech from a private engineering college in Bhubaneswar.