Mangalore, May 31: Like-minded organizations have urged the state government to intervene in the case of harassment of assistant sub-inspector Srikala KT by her senior TR Jagannath, assistant commissioner of police, Mangalore south division. The government should not allow the matter to rest at the departmental level and consider it seriously and take steps to ensure that the senior police official is suitably punished.
Muneer Katipalla, DYFI leader, told reporters here on Thursday that minister for forest and environment and Dakshina Kannada district in-charge B Ramanath Rai should take personal interest in this matter and raise the issue with the government. Reminding Rai that he not so long ago shared the forum with similar organisations protesting rise of communal incidents in the district should now intervene to ensure that justice is done to Srikala.
Writer Sara Abubakker lauded Srikala for filing a complaint against the alleged sexual harassment that she faced at the hands of Jagannath. “Not many women in work places dare to bring such matters to the fore and compromise with their position. It is matter of personal and family pride and they adjust to the misbehaviour perpetrated against them,” she said adding that the government must ensure that Jagannath is suspended.
Social activist Vidya Dinker representing the Mahila Dourjanya Virodhi Vedike said based on her one-to-one interaction with Srikala; it was a classic case of sexual harassment at the work place. “Although she has not gone into the details of the harassment in her complaint to city police chief Manish Kharbikar, she is ready to depose before a nine-member committee set up by him,” Vidya said. The Vedike will go ahead with its own fact finding to unearth the various layers in this case, she added.
Flaying attempts to muzzle Srikala
By registering a case against Srikala and her husband in a two-year- old case, Muneer said attempts are being made to muzzle her and force her to withdraw the complaint against Jagannath, who throughout his career has carried the stigma of perpetrating atrocities on subordinates and others. Noting that as per information with her, the nine-member committee set up by Manish as per the guidelines in the Vishaka Judgment of the Supreme Court is yet to meet, Vidya said the Vedike is planning to seek information on constitution of such committees at the station level through use of RTI. “It is important for every government department having a sizable strength of women on its rolls to have such a committee and redress their grievances,” she said.
