Sexual exploitation charge against IAS officer: SIT begins

Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Chandigarh Police has started probe into the allegation of sexual assault against an IAS officer, as the woman complainant today appeared before the probe panel and asked for registration of an FIR in the case.
The 1987-batch officer has been accused of sexual exploitation by a Panchkula-based woman on the pretext of marriage, after which the Haryana government on April 14 asked him to proceed on leave.
After appearing before the SIT, the complainant told reporters that she had demanded registration of an FIR before further probe is held.
"An FIR should be registered first before the probe proceeds further," she said.

Last week, the IAS officer was sent on leave by the Haryana Government after charges of sexual exploitation against him were levelled by the woman.
Chandigarh Police later formed an SIT to probe the allegations levelled against the officer by the woman.

Formed on the directions of the Chandigarh IG R P Upadhyaya, the SIT is headed by woman IPS officer, SP (Headquarters) Urvija Goel with members including Assistant SP (East) G S Sidhu and Station House Officer of Sector 19 police station Maninder Singh, under whose area of jurisdiction the woman had claimed she was exploited by the IAS officer.

The IAS officer has also filed a counter-complaint against the woman, police have said.
Defence lawyer, however, has denied the charges alleging that the complainant was only trying to "blackmail" his client and extract "huge sums of money" from him.
The woman has claimed that she did not know that the officer was married as she never met his family.
The woman had said that she brought the matter to the notice of state police chief. On her request, Haryana DGP Yashpal Singhal had referred the case to the Inspector General of Police, Chandigarh, where the alleged incident took place.