Maha IPS officer faces FIR for 'sexual harassment'
Acting on a report of the National Human Rights Commission, a magistrate court here has directed the Maharashtra Director General of Police to register an FIR against suspended IPS officer Jawahar Singh for allegedly outraging modesty of a woman police officer in 2002.
The NHRC, which recently forwarded its report to the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, recommended action against Singh after conducting a probe into the allegations of sexual harassment levelled by a woman sub-inspector against him.
Magistrate D H Sharma, on May 25, directed the DGP to treat the proceedings of NHRC as a complaint and proceed in accordance with the law by registering FIR. The court observed that though the victim had lodged a complaint against Singh of sexual harassment, the Commissioner of Police had not registered FIR, purportedly "to protect him".
In 2002, the victim--who was a sub-inspector in the Anti-Narcotics Cell of Mumbai police at Cuffe Parade--while Singh was posted as DCP, complained to NHRC that he would often call her to his cabin without any reason and made 'advances' toward her.
She also alleged that on March 22, 2002, the officer called her to his cabin on the pretext of some work and passed some unsavoury remarks regarding her physical appearance and attire.
The victim's grievance was corroborated by her two colleagues who said that she had narrated to them about the incident when she came out of Singh's cabin. The victim's husband also told NHRC that his wife had time and again complained to him about the alleged sexual harassment.
However, Singh, in his defence, had argued that the allegations were baseless and malafide and that he was being framed by a "big drugs mafia".
Singh was recently suspended after he conducted an allegedly fake sting operation in Aurangabad jail. Using a spy camera, Singh had interviewed 20 prisoners who told him that contraband substances were easily available in the jail.
However, a probe by the home department revealed that the "inmates" interviewed were allegedly his men and he conducted the sting operation to malign the jail superintendent.
