Accused IAS officer refutes charges before women panel

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana IAS officer whom his junior IAS officer had accused of sexual harassment last week, rubbished the charges against him as baseless while appearing before the Haryana State Commission for Women on Wednesday.

Though the commission had already recorded the complainant’s statement on Monday, she was again called by the panel on Wednesday and given a week’s time in case she wanted to give any documents to support her allegations.

The accused officer in his statement to the commission maintained that he always ensured that other colleagues were present whenever any woman official visited his office.

As to whether he had asked the complainant if she wants to work or pass time, he said that he had told the woman officer if she wanted to just push the files or work in the department. He also submitted to the commission a list works he had given the woman officer to choose from.

Briefing mediapersons after hearing the complainant, panel chairperson Pratibha Suman said the accused IAS officer gave his replies with regard to all the points raised by the complainant and said that he was open to any type of probe.

Suman said the commission had also called an official (director general) of the department and would call some more officials whose reference the complainant had made in her post on the social media “to know the conduct of both of the officers”.

She said the commission had also written to chief secretary DS Dhesi to provide it the CCTV footage of the office of the accused.

Suman said the commission would complete its probe in about a fortnight’s time.

Notably, the 28-year-old woman officer had in a Facebook post accused her boss of sexual harassment, a charge that was denied by the male officer. The complainant had alleged that her boss sexually harassed her for “writing dissenting notes on official files”.

ACCUSED CLAIMS OTHER COLLEAGUES ARE ALWAYS PRESENT WHENEVER A WOMAN OFFICER VISITS HIS OFFICE; WILL FINISH PROBE IN FORTNIGHT, SAYS PANEL CHIEF