Chennai: The Tamil Nadu police department is rocked with what could perhaps be its most embarrassing moment as a woman SP filed a sexual harassment complaint against her superior officer - an Inspector General.
The state government has constituted an internal complaints committee headed by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) and Director of the Tamil Nadu State Crime Records Bureau, Seema Agarwal, to probe the matter which will follow the norms set by Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
The other members – S. Arunachalam and Deputy Inspector-General of Police Thenmozhi, retired Additional Superintendent of Police Saraswati and administrative officer, Ramesh, from the DGP office to constitute the newly reorganized Vishaka committee appointed by Director General of Police T. K. Rajendran on Monday.
Committee chairperson Seema Agarwal assured that both parties would be heard before a report is given. “A report will be submitted after a detailed probe is conducted. It will take about two months. Following this, if found guilty, the state government will take necessary action,” she assured.
Although the department already has a complaints committee, a special one was required as the complainant is a senior officer, she said. “The committee will also have officers of lower rankings. They cannot prove such a case. Therefore, a special one had to be formed,” she said.
The SP in her written complaint, which was filed over a week ago, said that the senior officer had sent inappropriate images and messages late at night for the past seven months. She had also highlighted that despite her expressing her disinterest and annoyance, he continued to do so. Sometimes, he would even play pornographic videos when she was around, she had said.
The IG threatened to write disapproving entries of the SP in her annual confidential report (ACR) if she reported him. The ACR, like a resume, is a record of the work of a police officer. Even her requests to be transferred did not materialize, she said.
