UPSC yet to act on report against IPS officer

The complaint was that he had forcibly kissed a deputy commandant in full public view in 2003.

The woman officer had then kept mum, but 14 months later, she approached the Committee set up in 2004.

CRPF sources said the IPS officer was immediately shifted out of the force which has the highest number of women among the paramilitary forces because of its Mahila batallions.

The Home Ministry also punished him. He was superceded when his next promotion was under consideration. But the UPSC was yet to act against him, say CRPF sources, who feel he could be given the marching orders.

As per a Supreme Court directive, which is the basis for organisations setting up internal committees to address the complaints of sexual harassment, the report of the committee should be treated as the final word on the issue.

The committee also found another officer guilty of passing lewd remarks at one of the trainees and the officer was immediately sacked. However, the committee look a lenient view of a trainer in a similar case and let him off with a warning for his ‘‘sexual’’ remarks.

So far, the committee has received eight complaints of which two have been dealt with and the others are under investigation.

‘‘Most complaints are against seniors,’’ a CRPF officer told The Indian Express. Unlike in the army and air force where such committees have been found to be without neutral members, such as a worker of a non-governmental organisation (NGO), the CRPF has strictly complied with the SC directive (in the Vishakha case) making its mandatory for all the workplaces to set up such committees to be headed by a woman.

‘‘We employ about 3,500 women as combatants and there is no point ignoring their grievances,’’ a senior officer said on the condition of anonymity.