Bhubaneswar, March 26: The Orissa Assembly Speaker has been accused by a lady marshal of sexual harassment.

Maheshwar Mohanty today dismissed the charge as “false and baseless” and decided not to preside over the House till an inquiry gives him a clean chit.

But the denial could not muffle the daylong din in the Assembly, with the Opposition demanding the Speaker’s resignation.

A section of the media had reported the allegations levelled by assistant lady marshal Gayatri Panda, 29.

Mohanty was accused of sending several people to Panda’s house to fetch her for a private meeting. “He had sent his official vehicle to my house at 11pm twice,” she was quoted as saying.

The Speaker, she alleged, had also tried to “touch her” many times while she was standing guard in the House.

Panda said she had been suspended last month to pressure her into succumbing to the Speaker’s wishes. She added that she had written to the Assembly secretary on February 21 listing her charges, but no action was taken.

Mohanty made a suo motu statement in the House this morning dismissing the charges and said Panda had been suspended for “unauthorised absence and negligence in duty”.

Before leaving the House, he said: “This is a serious allegation against the high office of the Speaker, perhaps the first of its kind in parliamentary history. I wouldn’t like to preside over the House while an inquiry is on.”

Suggesting a House committee probe, Mohanty dubbed Panda’s allegations a “conspiracy” and said powerful people were involved.

However, the Opposition rejected the suggestion and demanded an “impartial” inquiry. The House had to be adjourned because of the chaos that followed.

An all-party meeting convened to resolve the crisis remained inconclusive as chief minister Naveen Patnaik stayed away.

Some newspaper reports had said Panda would lodge an FIR against Mohanty at the Mahila police station. Reporters flocked to the police station, but there was no sign of Panda till this afternoon.