New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has stayed a parallel investigation conducted by the Border Security Force (BSF) against a woman officer of the force who had accused a senior officer of sexual harassment.
The petitioner is a medical officer (Assistant Commandant) currently posted at a hospital in Abohar, Punjab. The woman officer alleged in the plea that she is being pressurized to take back her complaint of sexual harassment and workplace harassment filed during her tenure at Sector Headquarter (SHQ) Hospital Panisagar, Tripura, against her seniors, in consequence of which several Chargesheets, Explanation Letters among other proceedings were initiated against her.
She was approaching the high court seeking quashing of the proceedings against her.
“Till further order, enquiries pending against the petitioner shall remain stayed,” said the order passed by the bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Saurabh Banerjee dated May 31.
The petitioner stated that she was posted at SHQ Panisagar in July 2018 and has been away from her family for many years owing to her postings.
The petitioner has been subjected to sexual assault and harassment by her senior, the then DIG Sindhu Kumar, ever since she joined posting at Panisagar; and several illegal SCOIs/ROEs have been ordered by Kumar against the petitioner to pressurize her to accede to sexual favours demanded by him.
Since there was no grievance redressal mechanism at her place of posting to report incidents of sexual harassment, the petitioner wrote to DG BSF seeking an urgent interview on several occasions in July 2019, but her requests were denied.
The ADG (HR) asked her to meet Comdt. (Pers) YS Rathore who assured her that the file is under process with DG BSF and she will be informed accordingly the plea said.
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