All India Radio employee found guilty of nine sexual harassment cases

Team Udayavani, Dec 8, 2018, 11:47 AM IST

New Delhi: The charges against the accused in nine cases of sexual harassment at All India Radio (AIR) have been proved and stringent action has been taken against him, the NCW said.

The National Commission for Women was told by Prasar Bharti that the charges against the accused were proved in the enquiries conducted by the AIR’s Internal Committee and it recommended the stringiest action.

“The disciplinary authority accepted the recommendations and the authority imposed a major penalty of reduction to a lower pay scale by two stages for one year and no increment during the reduction period. After the expiration of one year, the reduction period will have effects on subsequent increments,” the NCW said in a statement.

The accused was also transferred as an administrative measure, it added.

The Prasar Bharti report also mentioned that certain preventive measures have also been taken by All India Radio, like posting of women Programme Executives as station In-Charge, installation of CCTV cameras at vantage points, and providing transport facility to women employees during odd hours.

Further, the Prasar Bharati Secretariat has issued all its directorates to send quarterly progress reports in respect of sexual harassment complaints being inquired into by the respective Internal Committees.

The National Commission for Women has received an Action Taken Report (ATR) from Prasar Bharati regarding steps taken on sexual harassment complaints by women employees of All India Radio against an officer.

The NCW, in its letter dated November 15, had directed the CEO, Prasar Bharati to conduct an enquiry into the complaints after it received a formal complaint dated November 12 from the All India Radio Casual Announcer and Comperes Union alleging sexual harassment at workplace of casual announcers and comperes working in different stations of AIR throughout the country.

The NCW had sought an ATR within 15 days.

The matter was also brought to the notice of I&B secretary Amit Khare for his “personal intervention” in the matter.

Earlier on November 9, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi wrote to Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore to ensure that a “sensitive and fair system” is put in place at the state-owned AIR to address the sexual harassment complaints.