TMC wants Ganguly to step down,NGO files police complaint
Earlier,former SC judge Ganguly said that time has not come to think about quitting.
The clamour for action against retired Supreme Court judge Ashok Ganguly,accused of sexual harassment by an intern,grew Wednesday with the ruling Trinamool Congress seeking his ouster from the post of West Bengal Human Rights Commission chairman and an NGO filing a police complaint in the case.
Police said they would examine the complaint before deciding to act on it even as the former judge once again denied the allegations.
“The Trinamool Congress has noted with anxiousness and concern the charges of sexual harassment against Justice (retired) Ashok Ganguly,chairman of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC). The charges cannot but leave an impact on public perception of his current role as chair of the WBHRC,” Derek O’Brien,TMC MP and chief whip of the TMC parliamentary party,wrote on his blog Wednesday.
“The Trinamool Congress has followed an approach of zero tolerance when it comes to safety and dignity of women in the workplace and the toxic phenomenon of sexual harassment. It is for those in senior positions in public life to act as role models not just in upholding standards of conduct with female colleagues but also in responding expeditiously and with sensitivity when they themselves face charges of this nature.
“As such,it would be wholly incumbent upon Justice Ganguly to step down from his position as chair of the WBHRC and restore the sanctity of the office he currently holds. Public propriety and a sense of decency demand this. I therefore urge Justice Ganguly to resign as chair of the WBHRC,” he wrote.
The blog post came as members of the Bharat Bachao Sangathan went to Hare Street police station in Kolkata to file an FIR against Ganguly.
Members of the NGO demanded that Ganguly should resign and be arrested. When hundreds of people across the country were being arrested on the basis of complaints of victims,why should Ganguly be an exception,they asked.
“On December 2,we had requested Justice Ganguly to resign…We had also,on the same day,sent a mail to the commissioner of police requesting him to file a suo motu FIR,” said Vineet Ruia,president of the committee.
The NGO was at the police station after being informed by police they needed a hard copy of the complaint.
“They said they will go through it,verify facts and then,if need be,convert the complaint into an FIR. If that doesn’t happen within 48 hours,we will move court and get an FIR done from there,” he added.
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