Arunachal: Woman constable accuses former SP of sexual harassment, accused transferred to Delhi

A woman constable from West Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh has accused the former Superintendent of Police (SP), B. Bharat Reddy, of sexual harassment. The Arunachal Police have taken action by forming a local complaint committee (LCC) to investigate the allegations, and the accused SP has already been transferred to Delhi, as reported by the Indian Express.

The complainant, a policewoman, approached the internal complaints committee (ICC) of her workplace on June 24 to report the incidents. She alleged that she had received a message from the personal number of the former SP in late May, simply saying 'Hi'. Initially assuming it was a mistake, she did not respond. However, on the night of June 23, she received a series of explicit messages from the same number, where the former SP was seeking a "sexual consensus blatantly". Additionally, he made a voice call on WhatsApp, which she chose not to answer.

"Ironically, a police officer, who is entrusted with ensuring the safety of women in the workplace, is himself committing and encouraging such crimes against his female staff," the constable stated.

The complainant has provided screenshots of the text messages she received, starting from 11:14 pm on June 23, where the accused requested her presence at his house the following day to "help" him, as detailed in the report.

It is noteworthy that the accused SP's transfer to Delhi was already confirmed by the Union Home Ministry on June 8, and the complaint against him was filed towards the end of his tenure in Arunachal Pradesh.

After reviewing the case, the ICC decided to transfer it to the LCC "for further necessary action and for the interest of justice to the victim," considering the allegations were made against the employer, as the SP is the appointing authority for constables.