ED transfers officer after woman levels harassment charge

A case of alleged sexual harassment of a woman employee by an investigating officer has been reported in the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the country's premier agency probing laundering and financial crimes.
Soon after the woman, working in the Delhi office of the agency, made a written complaint to top agency officers and ED Director Rajan Katoch, the Assistant Director (AD) rank officer has been transferred to the agency's zonal office in Hyderabad, pending an inquiry.
Both the woman and the AD were working in the same office in the national capital.
Sources said the woman, in her complaint, has alleged that the officer had reportedly written and posted some unsigned obscene letters to her residence after which she was forced to make a complaint against him.

The ED headquarters has now constituted a committee headed by a woman officer to probe the case and has deputed some senior officers from the agency as members of this anti-sexual harassment committee.
As there are no women officers in top ranks of the agency, sources said, a senior female officer of the Accounts department under the Department of Revenue has been made the chairperson.

Officials said the case against the officer may not essentially be only of sexual harassment as he was also under the scanner for his overall conduct in terms of work performance.
Initial inquiry into the allegations has also hinted that the letter might have been written and posted to the woman by someone else to settle a score with the officer in question.

The woman, sources said, had also alleged that the officer had sent her few "improper" text messages on her mobile phone few years back but she did not complain about it then.
Sources said the agency has taken a strict note of this first case of alleged sexual harassment and hence has shifted the officer to facilitate a fair probe.