‘Sexual harassment’ allegations: Need more time to question all Jind women cops, says probe officer
Haryana State Commission for Women’s chairperson Renu Bhatia had on Sunday directed director general of police and Fatehabad SP to appear before the commission on October 29 and submit their report.
Fatehabad superintendent of police (SP) Astha Modi, who has been entrusted with the responsibility to probe the “sexual harassment” of women cops in Jind allegedly by an IPS officer, on Monday said statements of 38 women police personnel have been recorded so far and more time is needed to question all women cops in Jind district. Notably, Haryana State Commission for Women’s chairperson Renu Bhatia had on Sunday directed director general of police (DGP) and Fatehabad SP to appear before the commission on October 29 and submit their report.
Talking to HT over phone, SP Astha Modi said statements of 19 women cops were recorded on Monday, taking the number of personnel to 38 who have appeared before the police. “We will speak to all 142 women cops deployed in Jind district besides recording statements of women cops who have been transferred to other districts from Jind in the last six months. We are speaking to women cops only. We are spending at least 20 minutes each on female cops so that they can feel comfortable and record their statements in a cordial atmosphere,” she said.
On being asked about the state women commission’s summon for her as well as the DGP to submit a probe report on October 29 (Tuesday), the Fatehabad SP said she would apprise the commission that more time is needed to complete the probe.
“This is a sensitive issue and we need time to dig into each and every detail. I can’t divulge more details about what women cops told us during questioning. We will speak to around 50 women cops on Tuesday,” she added.
The investigation was initiated on Friday after a letter had surfaced on social media against an IPS officer deployed in Jind, accusing him of sexually harassing women cops. The officer has already rubbished such allegations, claiming that the entire episode has been aimed at tarnishing his image.
Meanwhile, former Haryana minister and All India Congress’ OBC wing chairperson Ajay Yadav demanded a probe from a sitting judge of the high court to ensure justice for the victims. “If women cops are not safe in Haryana, how an ordinary female can expect a safe atmosphere in the state. This is a very sensitive matter and the state government should monitor it closely,” he added.
The letter doing the rounds on social media had mentioned that seven women cops sent complaints via email to the chief minister, ADGPs and other senior police officers. They alleged that an SHO and a DSP, both women, are running a honey trap together. In the letter, one of the woman cops mentioned that a woman SHO, a female DSP and an SP are involved in “illicit” activities. She mentioned that those who raise their voices against harassment, get their annual confidential report adversely affected.
“A widow woman officer was reportedly saved from harassment after intervention by an MLA, but her ACR was affected resultantly,” the letter reads. Later, another letter appeared on social media in which one, claiming to be a woman cop, alleged the woman DSP offered them ₹10 lakh each for burying the issue. “We are not among those 19 women cops who appeared before the probe team. If the Haryana government transfers the SP, the woman DSP and the woman SHO from Jind, we are ready to appear before an IG-rank woman police officer and an official from the women’s commission to narrate the misdeeds of these three officials. We also have an audio clip in which the woman SHO asked one of the victims to get ready to please the SP,” it stated. HT couldn’t independently verify the veracity of the letters.
On Saturday, Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli had said the state government would investigate the matter thoroughly.