MADURAI: In the wake of a false sexual harassment complaint doing the rounds against an HR&CE joint commissioner in Madurai, the city police on Tuesday arrested a suspended executive officer of the department for allegedly circulating the message over personal enmity.
The victim, K Chelladurai (44), said as part of his job, he had to monitor the work of his subordinates and recommend action against them when needed. So, when he received complaints against S Jawakar (60) of Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district, who worked as executive officer of Arulmigu Vaithiyanatha Swamy Temple at Madavar Vilagam in Srivilliputhur, Chelladurai conducted an inquiry and recommended action against him on March 8 this year.
Consequently, Jawakar was suspended and departmental action was initiated against him. Since the departmental action was pending, Jawakar was also not allowed to retire on July 31. Chelladurai, in his complaint to the police, claimed that irked over the action taken against him, Jawakar started spreading false allegations against him in WhatsApp groups of the department.
“Jawakar spread a fake complaint on social media which claimed that woman officials of the department working in the Madurai region sent a complaint against Chelladurai on August 2 to the HR&CE commissioner and the Vishaka committee. In the fake complaint, Jawakar forged signatures of the woman officials,” the police complaint read.
Meanwhile, the women staff mentioned in the fake complaint lodged a petition with the Commissioner of Police J Loganathan on Monday seeking action against the person who spread the fake sexual harassment complaint. SS Colony had registered a case against Jawakar under sections 132, 221, 336 (2)(3)(4), 340 (2) of BNS, 4 of the TNPHW Act and 67 of the IT Act on August 12. During interrogation, Jawakar allegedly confessed to creating false sexual harassment complaint.