Complainant transferred to Car Nicobar; wrongdoer gets protection
Staff Correspondent
Port Blair, Feb 05: When entire country is focusing towards ensuring safety of women, in Andaman and Nicobar Islands things are other way round. The best example of this negative attitude, towards safety of women and protecting them from sexual harassment in work place, has been found in Education Department.
After suffering harassment in work place a lady Maya (Name changed) submitted a written complaint to the Director of Education Department on 26.12.2013 against the Vice Principal of Senior Secondary School, Diglipur, Mr. S Gurumoorthy.
In her letter she clearly mentioned that the said Vice Principal is continuously harassing her and talking to her in most baseless and inappropriate manner. She mentioned that the Vice Principal is making her wait in school for hours and hours, after school hours, for no reasons.
The teacher further mentioned that in various other ways the Vice Principal was harassing her and when she refused to agree to any of his demand the Vice Principal reportedly threatened her to spoil her life.
Soon a sexual harassment committee agreed to listen to the lady and today the committee heard that lady but instead of coming to her rescue, the lady was again allegedly harassed by the Committee members. Surprisingly during the meeting sentences like “Why didn’t you cooperated with the Vice Principal” “This kind of adjustments one has to do in work place” “We also suffered such things” were used by the committee members.
One can understand that how serious the Education Department is towards the inquiry by the move that the complainant lady, who is a mother of a small child, has now been transferred to Car Nicobar while the Vice Principal was sent to V K Pur School of Little Andaman.
Such transfers will not only psychologically kill the lady complainant but also make the case very weak.
To harass further the some complaint letters have now also been submitted against the lady, raising questions about her character. This has probably been done to dilute the case.
“Department’s committee against sexual harassment today called the lady and heard her problems. About her transfer it is the decision of the Secretary of the Department and only he can comment,” said a senior officer of the department on the condition of anonymity.
The Secretary of Education, Mr. DN Singh, who is in leave was not available to comment although Andaman Sheekha contacted him over phone.
Just to tell our readers about the back ground of the Vice Principal Mr. S Gurumoorthy Andaman Sheekha must add that on 24 August 2011 the then Zilla Parishad Member of Neil Island had submitted a complaint letter against him to the Lt. Governor for asking bribe from SHGs, who are supplying Mid Day meal to the schools in Neil Island. Not only this on 26.12.2013 a local weekly had published a news against him for purchasing substandard lunch and prize for students during Annual Sports.
This is sad that instead of providing protection to women the Department has stand relived the lady teacher to a remote Island.
What kind of Justice is this? This is also sad that whenever such matter is raised by media, instead of taking things seriously a misleading rejoinder is issued by the Department.
Hope that the Lt. Governor will himself intervene into this matter and ask the department to conduct a fair inquiry and punish the wrongdoer instead of giving him immunity.
