An inspector of the Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) has been dismissed for trying to take away 5-6 pieces of fish and 5 kg of rice for personal use without any authorisation.
A General Force Court at the 50 battalion headquarters, Ramgarh, Panchkula district, on Tuesday dismissed inspector Praneeta Singh, 41.
She was held guilty of misappropriating property belonging to the force on August 24, 2011, while posted at Kinshasa, Congo (Africa), during a United Nations mission. She was found taking away fish and rice belonging to the contingent in a Mahindra Bolero jeep. She was also held guilty of criminal breach of trust for the same act.
Praneeta was posted as ‘sexual exploitation and abuse officer’ and food officer with the ITBP contingent in Congo.
She was held guilty of using criminal force with a subordinate as while trying to leave with the fish and rice, she grabbed head constable Joginder Singh, who stopped her, by the collar and yelled at him.
She was also found guilty of an act prejudicial to good order and discipline.
The dismissal order is subject to confirmation by the superior authorities of the ITBP.
Praneeta took the defence that the head constable had passed sexually abusive comments against her and when she questioned him, he beat her up on August 24, 2011. In view of her injuries, she had reported to a hospital in Kinshasa. Her husband sent a fax message the next day to then director general, ITBP, for action over the incident of sexual harassment and physical assault.
The dismissal order is subject to confirmation by the superior authorities of the ITBP.
Praneeta took the defence that the head constable had passed sexually abusive comments against her and when she questioned him, he beat her up on August 24, 2011. In view of her injuries, she had reported to a hospital in Kinshasa. Her husband sent a fax message the next day to then director general, ITBP, for action over the incident of sexual harassment and physical assault.
A Court of Inquiry was instituted under SK Sharma, deputy inspector general (DIG, special) frontier, headquarters, to look into her complaint of sexual harassment, but Praneeta claimed that the outcome was never intimated to her.
She expressed surprise that while the inquiry was being conducted into molestation, sexual harassment and assault charges levelled by her, she was made to face charges of taking away rice and fish.