MULTAN: Bhakkar police have registered a case against a former district government official for subjecting one of his female subordinates to ‘sexual harassment’.
According to the FIR (No 215/14) registered under Section 354 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) by Bhakkar city police station on the complaint of the ‘victim’, the official summoned her to his office on May 23 and asked her for sexual favour.
On her refusal, she alleged, he hurled threats of dire consequences including transferring her to some remote place.
She said when she reported the matter to higher authorities through various applications, the suspect not only misbehaved with her during a training session at the district headquarters hospital in front of a number of people but also slapped her on May 26 to punish her for making complaints.
The woman’s husband told Dawn a two-member committee constituted by the departmental secretary to probe the matter had declared the official guilty.
He said the suspect was made an officer on special duty (OSD) by the secretary concerned while mentioning in his transfer order that he was being transferred from his post for his misbehaviour with female staff which is tantamount to misconduct.
He lamented that despite such a clear verdict against him, the suspect had been again posted as a tehsil officer.
He said a complaint was also submitted to the city police but the investigation officer wrongly declared the suspect ‘innocent’.
He said another complaint was submitted to the district police officer (DPO), who appointed Sadar DSP Asmatullah Khan as inquiry officer. The case was lodged after the DSP declared the suspect guilty.
He said many other female employees of the department, appearing before the inquiry committee, endorsed the allegations, besides producing evidences to police.
Published in Dawn, Aug 3rd, 2014
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