JAMMU: A senior official of the Animal Husbandry Department was arrested Monday after his colleague accused him of sexual harassment in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.
Chief Animal Husbandry Officer D B Singh was arrested from Teryath area while he was trying to flee the district, Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajouri, Yougal Manhas said.
A case under various Sections of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), including 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of any woman), 506 (criminal intimidation), 354D (stalking to foster personal interaction) and 500 (punishment for defamation) has been registered against the officer at the women police station, Rajouri, Manhas said.
He said a woman official of the department lodged a complaint Monday morning accusing Singh, a district level officer, of sexual harassment at work and putting severe pressure on her in recent times.
"During the investigation, it was found that recently, a complaint went viral on social media in which it was mentioned that a female official of the Animal Husbandry Department has levelled allegations against the officer," the SSP said, adding that the complaint also carried signatures of some more officials of the department.
The woman lodged the police complaint only this Monday, he said. Manhas said it was found that based on the complaint, a three-member team of the Animal Husbandry Department has also reached Rajouri.
It is headed by a joint director-rank officer and at the time of arrival of the inquiry team, the accused was present inside his office but on the pretext of going to the washroom, he fled the office and switched his phone off.
Taking cognizance of the complaint, the SSP said police initiated investigation and it came to fore that the officer boarded personal car of an employee of his office and left from Rajouri after which special nakas were laid across the district and later, the car along with employee was intercepted by at Kalakote but Singh was not present in the car.
The accused was finally intercepted in a private vehicle in Teryath area while he was trying to flee Rajouri district to evade arrest.
He has been brought to Rajouri police station and arrested while police have also taken cognizance of the matter on the basis of a complaint lodged by woman official.
"Further investigation in the case is going on," he said.
The woman in her two-page complaint addressed to the senior officers of the department accused the officer of "using vulgar, obscene and filthy language besides trying to disturb her relationship with her husband", who is a soldier.
Taking serious note of the complaint, the department has constituted a three-member committee headed by joint director, farms, P R Bharti, to look into the matter and submit its report by Thursday.