Bhubaneswar: Haranya Panda (name changed), joined as a programmer in a state government department 15 years back, is now struggling for justice after she was subjected to sexual harassment at workplace.
Haranya had filed a complaint at her office and an internal committee was constituted to look into her case. This was long back before the #Metoo movement started.
In her complaint she said that two of her male colleagues had made obscene remarks against her, and had harassed her regularly by using slangs at the computer cell of the department where she was posted.
Haranya also said that one of the section officers in the department would often remove his shirt and sit wearing just vests at the workplace, offending female colleagues.
However, her problems started mounting when she filed a sexual harassment complaint and demanded an internal probe. She now says that it was due to her complaint that she faced multiple transfers.
“I was a victim of sexual harassment and filed a complaint, and I had to bear the wrath of higher officials. I was transferred four times after I filed the complaint. I was a programmer, but was transferred and asked to do the work of a peon, that is to scan documents,” said Haranya.
Orissa POST has a copy of Haranya’s transfer orders which indicated her job as ‘scanning works’.
When asked about the internal committee probe, she said, “It seemed pre-decided as the members heard me just for five minutes and told me that they have orders from above to rescue the men and hold me responsible.”
A scrutiny of the internal probe papers revealed that it said there was hardly any proof of sexual harassment, and that the victim had lost her mental balance and had filed the complaint due to that. The alleged culprits were let off by the probe team.
This incident is one of the few examples on how the victims of sexual harassment are treated. In this case, Haranya was not only transferred, but was also dismissed by the department citing absence from work and for applying pressure through politicians on the authorities for a permanent job.
Undeterred, Haranya moved the Odisha Administrative Tribunal and was successful in getting a stay order against her dismissal.
In many of these kinds of cases the Vishakha Guidelines, framed by the Supreme Court on sexual harassment in workplaces, are not followed.
The relevant part of the guidelines says, “The employer should ensure that the victims, or witnesses are not victimised nor are discriminated against while dealing with complaints of sexual harassment. The victims of sexual harassment should have the option to seek transfer of the perpetrator or their own transfer.”
Many women activists and survivors of sexual harassment said that internal sexual harassment committees do not record the audio and video of their meetings, work under pressure from higher authorities and victimise the complainants.
PNN