Rajesh Das, former Special Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu, was convicted and sentenced Friday to three years of rigorous imprisonment in a case of sexual harassment of a woman Superintendent of Police. He was granted bail to file an appeal according a report published in Indian Express.
The incident took place in February 2021 when the two officers were part of a security detail for the then Chief Minister during an election campaign.
Villupuram Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) M Pushparani found Das guilty of sexual harassment. He was also convicted under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman (Amendment) Act, 2002, and handed a concurrent three-year sentence. The court imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 for each offence.
The CJM also found the then Chengalpattu SP, D Kannan, guilty of involvement in the incident. Kannan had been named in the FIR for obstructing the woman officer’s attempt to lodge a complaint against Das. The court imposed a fine of Rs 500 on Kannan.
CJM court observed that Das despite “being one of the most senior officers in the State” “committed the crime”. It said it, therefore, decided to “impose the maximum level of punishment”.
According to the CB-CID, the incident occurred on the night of February 21, 2021 on the Trichy-Chennai highway. After completing “VIP duty” for the then CM during an election campaign, Das was returning to Chennai.
Also read: Dalit employee commits suicide in Bengaluru; alleges workplace harassment
It was alleged that he asked the woman IPS officer to accompany him in his car. The woman officer, who had been entrusted the task of receiving Das, complied despite the late hour, thinking he had a reason for the request.
According to the CB–CID, when the journey ended approximately 40 minutes later, the woman officer was seen rushing out of the car. This was the place where senior officers were waiting to receive Das to take over from the woman officer who had accompanied him.
The witnesses, who were senior police officers, saw her running out of Das’s car for a short distance – her own car was far behind. She asked for the car of another senior officer who was waiting there. This raised suspicion among the officers present, but they remained unaware of the nature of the incident. The woman officer, the probe found, did not communicate with them at that moment.
Das continued his journey to Chennai, attempting to contact the woman officer over phone but the calls went unanswered. It was alleged that the next day, Das sought the intervention of a senior IPS officer to reach out to the woman officer. Since she had already set out for Chennai to file a complaint with the then DGP, the senior officer couldn’t immediately reach her.
It was alleged that Das, on learning that the woman officer was headed to Chennai, instructed officers in Villupuram district to intercept her vehicle. A team of officers waited at a toll plaza, but her car had already cleared the area.
Subsequently, the then Chengalpattu SP, Kannan, who was fined Rs 500 by the court on Friday, received orders to intercept her car before it entered the Chennai city region.
It was alleged that approximately 150 personnel were involved in stopping the woman officer. There were allegations that they had even taken the key of her vehicle and had demanded that she return to her district. But Kannan decided to let her journey continue after she was said to have told him that she would also hold him responsible in her complaint.
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our LinkedIn, Twitter & Facebook
