‘SEXUAL HARASSMENT’: HARYANA WOMAN PANEL RECORDS STATEMENT OF COMPLAINANT

Accused seeks 3day time to appear before the commission; DGP asked to provide security to the complainant

THE 28YROLD WOMAN OFFICER HAD ALLEGED THAT HER BOSS SEXUALLY HARASSED HER FOR ‘WRITING DISSENTING NOTES ON OFFICIAL FILES’

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana State Commission for Women has taken a suo motu cognisance of media reports about allegations of sexual harassment against a senior IAS officer.

The commission on Monday recorded the statement of the complainant, a Haryana-cadre woman IAS officer.

Though the women panel had also summoned the accused IAS officer, he did not turn up and sought three-day time to appear before it. He has now been asked by the women panel to appear on Wednesday.

Briefing mediapersons after hearing the complainant, women panel chairperson Pratibha Suman said the statements of the complainant and a senior woman IAS officer, whose name the complainant had mentioned on the social media, have been recorded. “The commission would record the statements of the accused too, before reaching any conclusion,” she added. Suman said the panel had received a request of the accused IAS officer on email seeking three-day time, which was accepted.

The panel chairperson further said since the complainant had also expressed some fears, the panel has decided to write to the Haryana director general of police (DGP) to immediately provide her adequate security. The complainant, who also interacted with mediapersons after the hearing, said she had also sent her complaint to the Haryana chief secretary and DGP.

It may be recalled that a Haryana-cadre woman IAS officer had in a Facebook post accused her boss of sexual harassment on Sunday, a charge that was denied by the male officer.

The 28-year-old woman officer had alleged that her boss sexually harassed her for ‘writing dissenting notes on official files’. The male officer had termed the charges as ‘baseless’ and said he was open to any type of investigation.