Officer in dock ‘for sending porn clip’ to junior

After former managing director (Tourism) Anand Mohan Sharan and incumbent Sumita Misra failed to take any action against Sharma,the matter was brought before the chief minister. Misra,incidentally,was the director general (Women and Child Development) before being transferred to HTC on July 11.

Even after the chief minister had ordered action against the officer,Misra reportedly kept waiting for a report on the authenticity of the allegations. She,however,dismissed charges that she had refused to take action. “It is untrue that I did not take action. The complaint came to my notice on July 12 and I referred it to the sexual harassment committee,which is looking into the matter. The committee’s report is expected any day,” Misra said.

The alleged victim,a woman accounts assistant,said she received two obscene messages and a pornographic video clip from Vijay Sharma,an accounts officer in HTC,on July 5. She claimed that she showed it to her women colleagues and also brought it to the notice of higher officials the very day it was sent to her.

The matter was also allegedly brought to the notice of the then MD,Anand Mohan Sharan,who did not take action against the officer involved. When he was transferred out of the tourism department,Misra took over on July 12. She allegedly heard the woman and even saw the pornographic video clip. The ‘victim’ says that her complaint has been endorsed by 23 of her women colleagues.

On July 23,the woman and a few of her colleagues approached Principal Secretary (Tourism) Vijai Vardhan and narrated the incident. Vardhan reportedly apprised Hooda about the sexual harassment complaint and proposed that the “officer be immediately placed under suspension and chargesheeted under rule-7 of the Haryana Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules for the misdemeanour”. The victim has even moved a criminal complaint against the officer in the Chandigarh Police’s cyber cell.

In her written complaint,lodged with the managing director,HTC,on July 12,the victim alleged that the officer had even been threatening her to withdraw the complaint. She said that she is the only earning member of her family after the death of her father and brother.

“Knowing fully well of my family background,especially the fact that no male elder (sic) is there to look after me,Vijay Sharma is trying to exploit the situation by threatening to get me removed from the service of HTC and also to do striking harm to my person and honour,” she claimed.