RTO officer booked for sexual harassment in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: A woman employee has accused an Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO) at the Nelamangala RTO of sexually harassing her multiple times.

The Madanayakanahalli police registered an FIR on August 18 against ARTO Rajkumar under Section 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The complainant, a 48-year-old motor vehicle inspector, alleged that Rajkumar stared at her inappropriately. She said he once asked her to “come to an adjustment and get the needed posting”, the FIR noted. 

On August 18, Rajkumar called her to his chamber and allegedly asked her to remove a jacket she wore over her uniform. The woman told the police he refused her offer to remove it in her room and return.

'A misunderstanding'

In a video statement to the media, Rajkumar dismissed the allegations as a misunderstanding.

"I did not ask her to remove the jacket. My intention was only to have them show respect to their uniform. The government has given them an uniform to wear and to do their duty. I only told her that it did not look appropriate,” he said.

The police have launched a probe.