Female employees accuse top health officer of ‘sexual harassment, call him ‘monster’
Neyaz Elahi
Srinagar, Oct 19: At least five female medical employees have accused a top health official managing the affairs of a district in Central Kashmir of sexual harassment and have sought stern action against him.
These female complainants in a letter to the Principal Secretary Health and Medical Education Department J&K, a copy of which lies with the news agency Kashmir News Trust have alleged that the officer holding top post was forcing them to visit his office after 6 PM to get his signatures done on important files.
The complainant in their letter has said that they belong to the medical profession and when they went to the office chamber of the officer (name withheld) many times to get his signatures which are required for filing different forms regarding employment under different schemes, but unfortunately, he misbehaved with them, using very bad and unparliamentary language in the presence of many employees.
“Sometimes he asked us to visit different clerks who demanded money and other favors from us which we can’t even explain and sometimes he asked us to come to his office after 6 PM to get his signatures,” the letter reads.
They have alleged that the clerical staff of his office including the female employees informed them about his inhumane approach. “They told that he always fights with everybody and uses derogatory and unparliamentary language against almost everybody.”
“They (clerical staff) advised us that he (officer) is a very powerful person and he can go to any extent and will ruin your career if you speak against him as everybody is fed up with him but nobody has the courage to speak against this monster but we decided to go against this brutal and shameless person, as he has not only humiliated us, passing personal comments forcing us indirectly to succumb before him through his clerks but also by telling to come to his office after 6 PM, so we request your good self to take stern action against this monster and the shameless person so that no other female who goes to his office suffer any more for his vested interests,” the letter from the complainants read.
Meanwhile, sources told KNT that an inquiry has been initiated against the said officer though he has already been attached for other bad reasons.
Sexual harassment complaints in the Health Department are not uncommon. In past as well several females had come forward accusing top brass of such kind of harassment. Even a Minister from the Congress party in Jammu and Kashmir had to abdicate his chair after he was accused by a top female employee of sexual harassment.
Some female employees levelled the same allegations against a couple of Directors from the Health Department in past. (KNT)
