Ashok Bhokare (55), the laboratory technician at KEM hospital who was accused by 12 female colleagues of sexual harassment, was exonerated yesterday. Dr Shubhangi Parkar, dean of the hospital, said, “We have not found a single piece of evidence of sexual harassment by Bhokare.”Dr Parkar yesterday summoned Bhokare and his wife Shobha (45) and handed them a letter stating that he had been acquitted of all charges. Shobha, who had learnt about the shocking allegations against her husband of 18 years from newspaper reports three weeks ago, broke down in relief on hearing that he was innocent. The women, meanwhile, have been handed warning letters for “giving misleading information” but will face no further action.Three weeks ago, 12 female scientific officers from the biochemistry department lodged a complaint against Bhokare, claiming he sexually harassed them over several weeks. The women alleged that Bhokare used to pass lewd comments at them and take pictures of them without their permission. The case was taken up by the hospital’s sexual harassment committee.Dr Parkar said, “Dr Sucheta Dandekar, head of the biochemistry department, had asked Bhokare to keep tabs on what time the scientific officers came to work every day.He found that the women often came to work late and informed Dr Dandekar about it. This seems to have angered the women.” A source in the hospital added, “From the evidence presented, it seems there was no sexual harassment, and that the charges were motivated by revenge as the women did not like Bhokare keeping tabs on them.”“Our committee recorded the statements of other staff members from the department, all of whom spoke well of Bhokare. There have been no complaints against him in the past,” added Dr Parkar.Bhokare said, “The whole plan was to take revenge on me. Last year, I was asked to keep tabs on these women and inform my HOD if they arrived late. I even have an official letter from her to this effect. I was only doing my job. On many occasions I even caught some of them signing the muster for days when they had not come to work. I never took anyone’s picture. Yes, I did tell them I would, but my intention was never bad. They all are my colleagues. Earlier, they used to talk to me nicely but ever since I was appointed to keep tabs on them, the bitterness started,” Bhokare added.A female staffer from the biochemistry department told Mumbai Mirror, “Basically, the women did not like Bhokare keeping tabs on them. Bhokare told them many times that he would complain to the HOD about their lateness. On many occasions, the women would arrive late but put them wrong time in the muster, so Bhokare told them he would take pictures of them arriving late as proof. He informed the HOD several times, but never took any pictures and never make lurid comments.”Dr Parkar added, “I don’t know how it became a sexual harassment case. It was an departmental matter, which should have been sorted out within the department. Why was Bhokare asked to keep tab on the the women? That’s not his job. After this incident I am going to issue a circular to every department, saying that nobody must interfere in another’s work.”Nightmare endsShobha, meanwhile, is thankful that their ordeal is over. “I was shocked when I read the reports. My husband had not told me about it. When I confronted him, he said all the allegations were false. I knew he was not lying to me - we have been together for 18 years and have two children - but the sudden news of sexual harassment charges was too much to bear and I broke down completely,” she said.“I immediately tore out the newspaper page and hid it - not out of guilt, but to keep the news from our two sons, who are 15 and 13. They both love their father very much and idolise him, so I did not want to upset them, Shobha added.“Eventually, my neighbours started asking me whether the newspaper reports were correct. I even got calls from relatives. Eventually I switched off my mobile and stopped going out. What kind of explanation was I supposed to give them? I knew my husband was innocent.“For three weeks, we barely spoke to each other. I was waiting for the sexual harassment committee’s report. When I was called by the dean, I was very tense. I hadn’t slept the previous night. I went to the hospital with my younger son, thinking that if the allegations were true, at least he would be there to support me.“The first thing the dean told me was that my husband had been acquitted of all charges. I cannot express how happy I was. Ashok and I looked at each other and we both broke into tears. In 33 years of service at KEM, he had never faced any such allegations. Now, just three years before his retirement, he has been put through this ordeal,” she said.