Sexual Abuse Slur: Odisha-Born Senior IPS Officer Suspended

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has suspended former Special DGP, pending an inquiry into an allegation of sexual harassment against him, police sources said.

The officer, who hails from Odisha, is facing charges of sexual harassment levelled by a woman IPS officer.

According to media reports, the 1989-batch IPS officer allegedly tried to assault a woman SP in his car during an event of Chief Minister Palaniswami. The officer lodged a written complaint against him on February 22.

The officer’s suspension, who is presently under compulsory wait, comes a couple of days after the Madras High Court wondered why the former Special DGP who was accused of having made sexual advances towards a woman Superintendent of Police had not yet been suspended, The Hindu reported.

The government had earlier suspended the then Chengalpet SP soon after transferring him to the Commercial Crimes Investigation Wing. He was accused by the complainant of intercepting her car while she was proceeding to meet the Home Secretary and DGP/Head of Police Force to lodge the complaint of sexual harassment and forcing her to talk to the accused officer.

The state government was left with no other option after the court observed that a person facing sexual harassment charges must be suspended before proceeding with an inquiry.

Besides an Internal Inquiry Committee headed by a senior woman IAS officer, the Crime Branch CID has also registered a case against the former Special DGP, the former Chengalpet SP and others.