sexual harassment

Bengaluru

CMD

a case of sexual harassment

Sexual harassment, stalking and threats led her to the policeSuma Rao (name changed) started her first job in October, around the same time that the second wave of the MeToo movement was raging. The movement, calling outat the workplace, coincidentally started inBut even this did not insulate Suma from being sexually harassed, stalked and threatened by the chairman and managing director (), who was her former employer.In her complaint to the police, Suma has stated that she was surprised when she got an increment of Rs 10,000 before she completed a month on the job, for which she had been promised a salary of Rs 22,000 and more.The victim, a management graduate who resides in the city’s North division police limits, said she applied for a job at this private firm where the CMD had been identified as T Kumara. The company is located at Bahubalinagar in Jalahalli and Suma was hired as a manager and gradually 10 to 12 employees started working under her.“The victim in the complaint has stated that the suspect gradually started commenting on her dress and started praising her looks, telling her that she was tempting him.Initially, she had thought he was genuinely complimenting her. But a few days later he offered her a Rs 10,000 increment. He is accused of stalking her and attempting to get close to her. He allegedly called her after office hours, asked if he could visit her on holidays and was inquisitive about her private life,” said an officer who is a part of the investigations.Unable to bear his sexual harassment, she discussed about the matter with her family and decided to quit. When she personally went to submit her resignation letter, the suspect is alleged to have abused her and threatened her with dire consequences. The next day, she claims to have got a call from the HR asking her to come to office for the final settlement.“When she went to the office, she was shocked that she was asked to clear dues which she was not aware of. She suspects that false accounts had been created to make it look like she had dues to settle. Subsequently, she claims that the suspect called her even after she had resigned to ‘listen’ to him, cooperate with him or to clear the dues,” the officer said.The Jalahalli police have registered(IPC 354A), stalking (IPC 354D), intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace (IPC 504), criminal intimidation (IPC 506) and word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman (IPC 509) against Das, following the complaint by the victim.DCP (North) Chetan Singh Rathor told Mirror that police are gathering call records of Das and have given him a notice asking him to appear before the investigation officer. Further investigations are on.