Arunachal Policewoman Levels Sexual Harassment Charges Against Former SP

ITANAGAR: A woman constable from Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district has made accusations of sexual harassment against former Superintendent of Police (SP), B. Bharat Reddy.

The Arunachal Police promptly swung into action by forming a local complaint committee (LCC) to conduct an investigation into the allegations.

Meanwhile, the accused SP Reddy has already been sent on a transfer to Delhi, as per reports.

The complainant policewoman had reported the incident to the internal complaints committee (ICC) of her workplace on June 24.

In her complaint, she alleged that in late May, she had received a message from the personal number of the accused SP, which simply said 'Hi'. Initially she assumed it to be a mistake and did not respond back. But, on the night of June 23, she was appalled to receive a series of explicit messages from the same number, in which the former SP was seeking a blatant "sexual consensus”. On top of the message, he made a voice call to her on WhatsApp, which she decided not to answer.

"Ironically, a police officer, who is entrusted with ensuring the safety of women in the workplace, is himself committing and encouraging such crimes against his female staff," the constable stated in her complaint.

To bolster her argument, the complainant provided a series of screenshots of the WhatsApp text messages she received. The litany of messages started from 11:14 pm on June 23, where the accused had requested her to come to his house the following day to "help" him, it was detailed in the report.

It is significant to note that the Union Home Ministry had already confirmed the transfer of the accused SP to Delhi on June 8, and it was towards the end of his tenure in Arunachal Pradesh that the complaint against him was filed.

After the ICC reviewed the case, it decided to transfer it to the LCC "for further necessary action” and in “the interest of justice to the victim," considering that the allegations had been made against the employer, as the appointing authority for constables is the SP.

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