AIR employee accused of sexual harassment found guilty

Representational picture

An All India Radio (AIR) official accused of sexual harassment by nine women employees has been demoted from his position and subjected to other salary cuts as he was found guilty, the National Commission for Women (NCW) said on Friday.

"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," the NCW said in a statement.

"After the expiration of one year, the reduction period will have effects on subsequent increments. The accused was also transferred as an administrative measure," the Commission said.

The NCW in its letter addressed to the Secretary, Information and Broadcasting, and CEO, Prasar Bharati, last month had directed to conduct an inquiry into the complaints.

The Commission's direction came after it received a formal complaint dated November 12 from the office-bearers of the All India Radio Casual Announcer and Comperes Union alleging sexual harassment at workplace of casual announcers and comperes working in different stations of the AIR across the country.

The Prasar Bharati, in response to the NCW letter, had also mentioned about certain preventive measures taken by the AIR, 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.

According to the NCW, the Prasar Bharati Secretariat has asked its centres to send quarterly progress reports in respect of sexual harassment complaints being inquired into by the respective internal committees.

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.

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