POWER IN NUMBERS: Members of women's organisations and media persons staging rasta roko at RTC X-Roads protesting against alleged manhandling of a photographer by IG R.P. Meena in Hyderabad on Thursday. — Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

HYDERABAD: A day after an IAS officer Mangapathi Rao was given a clean chit in a sexual harassment case by V.P. Jauhari Committee, appalled women's organisations stepped up their agitation demanding action against an official of Legal Metrology Department on charges of sexual harassment of a woman employee on Thursday. The Joint Action Committee comprising members of AIDWA, POW and APNGOs Association, who staged a demonstration on the premises of the Legal Metrology Department, Musheerabad, demanding suspension of Vimal Babu, Deputy Controller in the department also demanded transfer of Mr. Meena for allegedly assaulting a photographer recording the protest.

Since June

Mr. Vimal Babu was charged with sexual harassment of junior assistant Bhavani and the case has been going on since June. Even after the State Women's Commission recommended suspension of Vimal Babu and women's organisations and NGO Association pressing for action against the official, IG R.P. Meena who is the Controller of Legal Metrology department did not initiate any action against the accused, said Sandhya of POW and Swarupa Rani of AIDWA.

On the other hand, employees who were supporting the complainant were suspended.

Mr. Meena, however, said a departmental mechanism was constituted to conduct the inquiry by Inquiry Officer Nurunnisa and the report submitted to the Government.

`Dereliction of duty'

The suspension of three employees was for dereliction of duty for months and not related to sexual harassment case. "There is no work culture among the staff in the department and important files were missing. The action was taken against them based on inquiry," he said.

Meanwhile, Bhavani, the victim said: "I was a widow and working in the department since 2001. After Vimal Babu joined the department in 2004, he started harassing me and even offered to marry me. When I married my colleague, Raghuveer Singh, a junior assistant, the harassment increased. I could no longer take it and took the matter to the notice of Chief Minister's office."

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