Chennai: A senior Chennai police officer, serving as Joint Commissioner, has been suspended after two women constables accused him of sexual harassment.
An Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) is investigating the case against D Mahesh Kumar, who was in charge of Chennai North (Traffic).
Department sources revealed to Republic World that the female constables addressed their complaints against Kumar to Director General of Police (DGP) Shankar Jiwal. The DGP then referred the complaints about sexual harassment to the ICC.
There has been a rise in sexual harassment cases across Tamil Nadu, including in government offices and educational institutions. In December, a 19-year-old Anna University student was sexually assaulted on campus, and her male friend was attacked.
Last week, two women were harassed on moving trains in separate incidents. One of them was pregnant, and suffered a miscarriage.
In another case of great concern, three teachers in the state’s Krishnagiri district were arrested recently under the Posco Act for allegedly gangraping a school student.
All these incidents have raised concerns about a possible lapse in law enforcement, with demands for stricter accountability.
DGP Jiwal had a meeting with the state’s chief secretary N Muruganandam to discuss preventive measures.
