Sexual Harassment case lodged against a Professor of IRMA by fellow woman employee:

The latest India news came out flashing when a woman employee at the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) reportedly accused one of the top management officials of sexual assault. She reported that the official made lewd sexual remarks on her and also tried to hug her without her consent. A FIR in this regard has been filed by the Anand Police on Tuesday. To ensure a fair probe, the police is arranging for the statements of eye-witnesses in this case. 

As per the complaint filed by a woman, employed in the publication department of the reputed IRMA, said that the top official passed some indecent comment on her in the presence of other male members. The report claims that the comments had a sexual undertone. 

The report further discloses that the woman approached an internal sexual harassment committee of IRMA in this regard on March 2 and reported the incident. She said that she joined the institute in September last year. 

Almost immediately, he started passing sexually colored remarks. He tried to hug me and I brushed him aside, but he is used to passing vulgar comments all the time. What pushed me to take action was a revealing video of a staffer’s daughter, who was participating in a skipping rope competition at the institute, which he posted on the official Facebook page of IRMA. Later, he deleted his post.” 

The complainant said that after reporting the issue to the committee she was assured of the due action to be taken. “I didn’t trust anybody so I went to the local complaints committee after that. They were supposed to revert to me in seven days. It did not happen, so I approached the police.” 

Superintendent of Police, Anand, Saurabh Singh, said, “She has told us that on three or four occasions, the official made lewd comments at her in the presence of other professors. She felt uncomfortable. On one or two occasions, she heard him say something to someone else. These comments were not targeted at her, but she has felt that her modesty has been outraged. She also mentioned one more incident when he hugged her. We have made note of her complaint and filed the FIR. But we have to follow the Supreme Court judgment before initiating action against the official. We have to first take statements, collect evidence and interrogate other people who were present there.” 

The FIR IS lodged under the amended sections of sexual harassment against women, namely, 354 (A)(iv), 354 (B) and 509. The news was certainly National news headline India as it involves the name of a reputed Indian Institute.