Official accused of molesting female colleague jailed, suspended

A video of the incident had gone viral on social media on December 27, after which an FIR was lodged against the DPO at Manjhanpur police station on the complaint of the woman

Accused of molesting a subordinate woman colleague at his office, Kaushambi district probationary officer (DPO) Rajnath Ram has been jailed and suspended.

The woman, in her complaint to DM Sujeet Kumar, alleged that the DPO often visited the centre on the pretext of inspection and molested her

A video of the incident went viral on social media on December 27, after which an FIR was lodged against the DPO at Manjhanpur police station on the complaint of the woman. He was arrested on Wednesday.

As per the reports, DM Kaushambi Sujit Kumar had constituted a five-member committee to look into the allegations against the official. The DM had also written to the government recommending action against the DPO.

On the recommendation of the DM, the director of women welfare suspended the official on Thursday.

The woman, who accused the DPO of harrasment, is a contractual employee and was posted at a One Stop Center for women in Kaushambi. The woman, in her complaint to DM Sujeet Kumar, alleged that the DPO often visited the centre on the pretext of inspection and molested her. The DPO continued harassing her for over a year and threatened to have her removed from the job when she protested. He also sent obscene messages to her WhatsApp account.

It was said that the video that went viral on social media was shot in August.