By Our Correspondent
RAYAGADA/KENDRAPARA/BHUBANESWAR: It seems, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is opting double yardstick on harassment to women at work place. The BJD Government on Saturday suspended Rayagada DFO Debarchan Behera under on charge of sexual harassment while the same Government keeping silent on a complaint filed by a women employee of Kendrapara Credit Cooperative Society against its President Pramod Sahu, who also happens to be the State secretary of the ruling party.
The DFO was though also involved in corruption cases but there are too also several such irregularities in Kendrapara Credit Cooperative Society and even 7 to 8 employees left jobs due to the sex hungry attitude of President Sahu. Meanwhile, the probe panel has said that Pramod Sahu will be issued notice to appear in connection with the case. No comments on the allegations have been received from Pramod Sahu & BJD. Earlier, a women Journalist Sasmita Acharya of Cuttak had filed an FIR against Kendrapara BJD Lok Sabha MP Anubhav Mohanty and his brother Anuprash Mohanty but in that case too, all, Naveen , CMO and BJD kept silent.
The DFO, who is an OFS office, has been accused of sexually harassing women staff at workplace which is a violation of the provisions under Conduct Rules for Government Servants, the CMO said while the same office silent on what going on in Kendrapara, CM Patnaik father Biju Babu’s Karmabhumi.
It is punishable under the sections of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition & Redressal) Act, 2013.Apart from the State Government, many such sexual harassment incidents also took place in private offices.The authorities of private offices should also take a cue from the State Administration and punish the persons involved in sexual harassment at the work place.
The woman who has filed FIR against BJD leader Sahu said: “I am receiving death threats through various channels to withdraw the complaints against Pramod Sahu and they are claiming that he is a very powerful man and can do whatever he wants. Even he (Sahu) himself has also threatened me saying, he is the State Secretary of BJD, so do whatever you can.”
The woman employee of Kendrapara Credit Cooperative Society who brought allegations of workplace harassment against the society president, Pramod Kumar Sahu, alleged that she has been receiving threats.
“I have been receiving death threats through various channels to withdraw the complaints against Pramod Sahu and they are claiming that he is a very powerful man and can do whatever he wants. Even he (Sahu) himself has also threatened me saying, he is the State secretary of BJD, so do whatever you can,” the lady employee said in an exclusive interview to OTV.
Threatening to commit suicide if denied justice, the lady employee said, “It has been six months since I lodged a complaint in this regard but I presume that pressure must be mounting on the cops resulting in inaction.”
Narrating the torment she had to face while working at the credit cooperative society, the complainant said, “Pramod Sahu always used to sexually harass me despite my protests. Often he would show lewd behaviour on pretext of seeking my help in helping him understand mobile functioning. He used to touch me inappropriately and also lure me with gifts and promotions. He also invited me to his farmhouse where he forced me to maintain physical relationship with him. When I resisted his advances, he threatened to rape and murder me. I was absolutely shocked to see such behaviour since he was a man of my father’s age.”
Earlier in the day, the lady employee appeared before a four-member team of Local Complaints Committee (LCC) set up by the Kendrapara district administration where her statements were recorded. She also submitted all documents, CDs and evidences to the team.
