Panel indicts HCS officer in sexual harassment case

PANCHKULA: A state government panel has indicted Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officer Reagan Kumar who was held for sexual harassing a 27-year-old woman staffer of Utkarsh Society, under the directorate of school education, Sector 2, Panchkula, official sources said.

The seven-member committee had probed the allegations and recently submitted its report to Haryana chief secretary DS Dhesi.

“After completion of the inquiry by the internal committee of the department in the matter, a final report was sent to the chief secretary last week,” said Rajiv Rattan, director, secondary education-cum-vice-president, Utkarsh Society. Asked whether the HCS officer was found guilty, he said, “The report is confidential and has been sent to higher authorities. I am not authorised to divulge the details.”

Following the complaint in May, Rattan had withdrawn work from Kumar and forwarded the case to the internal complaints committee of the department for inquiry.

Reagan Kumar, a resident of Sector 11, Panchkula was arrested on June 7 and was granted bail. Posted as an administrative officer (AO) in April, Reagan was booked under Sections 354A (sexual harassment) and 354D (stalking) of the IPC.

The woman had alleged that Kumar had called her into his cabin on May 29 during lunch hours to type some official documents. She had alleged that while she was doing her work, the official caught hold of her and pushed her against the wall. “He sexually harassed me, but I managed to get out and raise an alarm,” she charged.

The woman had alleged that the accused also asked her to go out with him for coffee, a day before the incident, but she refused. Besides, she alleged that the accused had also been following her to the bus stop after office hours.