Papon Kissing Row: Ousted from the show, the singer's mother alleges defamation by the channel

By Ramsha Akhtar

on February 26, 2018

Following Papon's decision to step down as the judge of singing reality show 'The Voice India Kids' stating in his tweet that he is in "no mental state to fulfil most of my professional obligations", &TV confirms his exit.

In a statement issued by &TV, the channel categorically said that Angarag Papon Mahanta, known as Papon will not be shooting any further episodes till the issue is resolved.

The statement reads as:

The Papon incident is unfortunate and is unequivocally condemned. The decision to not have Papon on the show has already been communicated. Anyone who fails to abide by our code of conduct will not be engaged by our network. We have faith in the judicial system to take the necessary actions that they deem fit. We have extended our full cooperation to the concerned authorities.

As a responsible broadcaster immediately after this incident was brought to our notice, an internal enquiry was initiated. Post the enquiry, instant support was extended towards the participants and their families. An on-call psychologist is available to offer counsel to the children and their parents and an external counsel has been appointed to address the situation.

We are committed to the well-being of our participants and would like to restate that a safe and secure environment is of utmost priority to us. All the parents send their children for participating in our shows with a deep level of trust. We truly value this trust and will do everything it takes to live up to this expectation.

Following the statement, Papon's mother Archayana Mahonto told a leading daily that the action taken is unfair. She said, "This is very sad. He (Papon) cannot do such things. We are very upset now. He will come out clean. Truth always remains the truth. Maybe this has been done to defame his image. We have not even thought that something like this will happen."

A complaint was registered against the Assamese singer by Supreme Court lawyer Runa Bhuyan after Papon was seen kissing a minor girl inappropriately during his Facebook live video. The complaint is filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and already been notified by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).