Blot on God8217;s Country

It8217;s outrageous, even by the unedifying standards set by politicians as a generic category. Kerala8217;s minister of Forest and Transport, A. Neelalohithadasan Nadar, has been accused of sexual harassment by a former secretary in his ministry, Nalini Netto. In a letter to Kerala Chief Minister E.K. Nayanar, Netto alleged that the minister summoned her to his office and tried to coax her into having a sexual relationship with him. After she resisted his advances, he forcibly outraged her modesty and attempted to molest her.

What is amazing is the sluggish fashion in which Nayanar8217;s government has responded to these charge against one of his ministers, albeit one representing a coalitional partner, the Janata Dal U. Although the incident occurred on December 21 and Netto8217;s letter was delivered to the chief minister on February 9, the Kerala chief minister has still not thought it fit to take action on the matter. Nayanar, who has in the past invited national opprobrium for his sexist remarks, does not seem tohave learnt any lessons on the need to be sensitive to gender concerns. The CPM in Kerala is known to react with alacrity on developments concerning its own interests it had gone to town when Congress8217;s P.J.Kurien faced charges of rape has still not discussed the issue on a party forum. This is preposterous. It amounts to consciously trivialising Netto8217;s charges. The Kerala IAS Officers8217; Association has, fortunately, proved more concerned. Coming to the defence of a fellow officer, it has demanded that Nadar step down and an inquiry be conducted into the incident.

Only an impartial investigation can establish the guilt or innocence of the minister. Certain questions have been raised in order to cast doubt on Netto8217;s charges. Supporters of Nadar want to know why she took a month to bring the incident to the notice of the chief minister and why she thought it fit to lodge her complaint only after being transferred from the Transport ministry. It is important to answer such questions, certainly, andpresumably a competent inquiry would go into the issues and circumstances of the case with the required thoroughness. However, it must be stated that raising such doubts has always been a time-tested strategem of undermining the seriousness of a sexual harassment complaint as numerous women, who have experienced the same ignominy that Netto evidently has, can testify to.

In 1997, a bench of the Supreme Court, presided over by Chief Justice J.S. Verma, had for the first time ruled that sexual harassment in the workplace constitutes a clear violation of a woman8217;s human rights. It is vital to view such incidents, not in terms of a mere misdemeanour, but within the framework of a person8217;s right to be treated with dignity, which is inherent in his or her Constitutional right to life. Nayanar would be advised, therefore, to demand that his Transport minister transports himself out of office and await the verdict of a duly constituted inquiry commission.