Sexual Harassment Slur On Odisha-Cadre IFS Officer V Karthick; Action Recommended

Bhubaneswar: Odisha-cadre IFS officer V Karthick has landed in a soup over alleged serious misconduct and blatant misuse of his official position and authority.

An internal committee, which conducted an inquiry into alleged misconduct and sexual harassment charges against him, in its report submitted to Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change has recommended premature repatriation from his current posting as Lecturer in CASFOS in Coimbatore to his parent cadre in Odisha before June 30. “There is preponderance of probability of misconduct and needle of suspicion turns towards the officer.”

“The IFS officer should never be posted or given any assignment or deputation in the future in training institutions and any female-based organisation because he has no gender sensitivity, his misconduct and his behaviour will harm the employer as well as his colleagues and subordinates,” it said, while recommending disciplinary action against him.

A detailed probe found that he was sending inappropriate WhatsApp messages to female officer trainees and woman staff of CASFOS, Coimbatore, and developing intimate relationships. Female officer trainees visited his place late at night and returned early next morning. “His behaviour with female officer trainees and also the office staff is against the moral turpitude, against the ethics, values, and morality of a training institution,” it noted while mentioning about his ‘inappropriate’ WhatsApp messages to a woman forest range officer from Maharashtra.

The committee further said, “The conduct of V Karthick is against the working culture of the training academy and will cost a dangerous precedence in the organization.”

“Hence, V Karthick continuing as a Lecturer in CASFOS, Coimbatore is untenable and is against the discipline, morality, and ethics. He should be immediately prematurely repatriated to his parent cadre as his tenure in CASFOS ends on 30th June 2024.”

The committee added that an inquiry is being conducted on the sexual harassment charges and the report would be submitted for further action as soon as possible.

Karthick had earlier served as DFO, Angul, in Odisha.