One fine morning I got a phone call from SNM Abdi from Kolkata. Abdi introduced him as a Special Correspondent of The Illustrated Week of India and wanted to meet me next day after reaching Bhubaneswar. He met me and wanted to do a story in his magazine about the recent attack on Samaja editor Radhanath Rath at Gadamanitri village in Khordha district allegedly by JB Patnaik’s supporters. I introduced him to Samaja Bhubaneswar correspondent Ashok Das.
Before leaving Bhubaneswar, Abdi told me that he would come again in a few days to do a cover story in his magazine about JB Patnaik’s so-called personal aberrations, about which he has heard. By the by he asked me why I had not done such a story in the Sunday magazine (now closed) for which I was then writing along with working as the Bhubaneswar Special Correspondent for The Telegraph, though I had been continuously writing on the questionable aspects of the JB administration. I replied that there was no evidence about the subject he was referring to.
Abdi returned a few days later and told me that the JB cover story he was mentioning had already been scheduled for the next week by Illustrated Weekly Editor Pritish Nandy. I said it would be a tough job for him (Abdi) to file the story.
Abdi was meeting several people and sharing with me about the progress or hurdles of his job. Before leaving, he briefly told me about the contents he would write in his story. As a well-meaning friend, I warned him that the contents appeared to be not strong enough to stand a libel case against his magazine which I said JB would most probably file after publication of the story and its aftermath. He reminded me that the story had to go next week as the magazine’s schedule had been announced.
I had a clear impression that Abdi had not succeeded in his efforts to get supporting evidence from a nurse, who had already been reported to have stayed in Government guesthouse in Bhubaneswar as CM JB Patnaik’s guest for about a month and left without paying the guesthouse bill. Nor did he get any substantial help from the widow of a Youth Congress leader who was alleged to be linked with JB.
What virtually was the main strength of the story were affidavits and audiotapes of some boys alleged to be misused by JB.
When the magazine hit the stands with the screaming cover headline “Shocking! The strange escapades of JB Patnaik”, it was, as expected, a bombshell, particularly because JB was already a man of several controversies and many believed in whatever said or written against him.
And what was also expected did happen. JB Patnaik soon filed a Rs1-crore defamation suit against the magazine and its concerned persons. The Illustrated Weekly-owning company Bennett, Coleman along with the editor and writer of the story finally tendered an unqualified apology on the cover of the magazine, after which JB withdrew the case. And another uneasy chapter in the JB’s political career came to an end.
Abdi, who continues to be a good friend of mine, has stated in a post-JB death article in a news portal that the company should not have tendered the apology as evidence in favour of his story would have emerged if the case had been prolonged. But I do not still feel convinced about it as the story should originally have had solid grounds.
Here, I want to note that many people have a wrong impression that I was the author of the story. This is obviously due to the fact that I had written and continued to write so many stories that went against JB and his regime. Abdi has stated in his portal write-up that his Illustrated Weekly story is now a “forgotten scandal”. But many still refer to the story and some continue to possess copies of it.
Abdi came to Bhubaneswar a few months ago for some work and we met. He said he had recently met JB when both were going to Guwahati from Kolkata in the same flight. JB was reading a newspaper and Abdi went to him and introduced himself. JB said, “You wrote against me; I went to court and you lost the case.”
After quoting JB, Abdi remarked, “So, JB Patnaik put the record straight.” I agreed.
