Scientist alleges sexual harassment by senior
Vijay Upadhyay
Agra. It is a common statutory practice to send a rape victim for medical examination. But the tests turned out to be traumatic experience for a woman scientist of Agra when one of her seniors began making sexual advances towards her in the name of "further tests".
Tired of facing continual harassment by Tan Sen, a senior scientific assistant at the Forensic Science Laboratory at Agra, Neeta Gupta (name changed), also a scientific assistant at the laboratory has now filed an FIR in the Rakabganj police station of Agra against her senior, claiming of being sexually harassed by Tan Sen at work.
According to Neeta Gupta, she had been working in the Forensic Science Laboratory at Agra since 1998 and Tan Sen had also joined the service at precisely the same time and was promoted as her senior last year and it was then, that her trauma began. First she was deliberately posted in the section specialised in conducting tests on vaginal swabs of rape victims and then Tan Sen began asking her to bring the findings to his home.
When she went to his home with the reports, it became a routine affair for Tan Sen to make sexually-laced comments on the reports, asking her to re-test the slides in front of him. According to Ms. Gupta, whose husband is presently working in Mumbai, Tan Sen even tried to establish sexual relations with her a couple of times, after which, she stopped taking the reports to his home for evaluation. The harassment, however, continued in the form of occasional "patting" by him while she was bending down on a microscope to test a slide.
It was then, that she finally filed a formal complaint before the Director of the UP forensic department in September but no action was taken on her complaint. Instead, her confidential complaint was leaked to Tan Sen who now began making open threats against her through SMS, phone calls and even a notice threatening to implicate her in a case of "Dalit Harassment".
Tired of facing continual harassment, Ms Gupta finally complained to the Senior Superintendent of Police Agra against Tan Sen and an FIR was registered against the scientist by the police on Monday.
According to Ambesh Tyagi, Inspector in-charge, Rakabganj police station Ms Gupta had charged Tan Sen of sexual harassment and making threats to her life and accordingly, a case had been registered under Sections 294, 504 and 506 IPC against him by the police.
But when The Pioneer contacted Dr GR Sethi, Director, UP Forensic Department, he claimed that a departmental inquiry had been setup on the complaint of Ms Neeta Gupta back in December and Tan Sen had been transferred from the laboratory in Agra to a field unit on 12th December.
He said that the inquiry was being headed by a joint director level official posted at Agra and appropriate action shall be taken against the senior scientist if Ms Gupta's allegations were found to be true.
Sangeeta Kumari, Joint Director, Forensic Science Laboratory Agra said that Tan Sen was presently working with a field unit of the department at Gonda after being relieved from Agra on 12th December and the complainant Ms Gupta had gone on an extended leave to her home in Mumbai since 17th December and further inquiry in the case was only possible after Ms Gupta returned to Agra.
Tired of facing continual harassment by Tan Sen, a senior scientific assistant at the Forensic Science Laboratory at Agra, Neeta Gupta (name changed), also a scientific assistant at the laboratory has now filed an FIR in the Rakabganj police station of Agra against her senior, claiming of being sexually harassed by Tan Sen at work.
According to Neeta Gupta, she had been working in the Forensic Science Laboratory at Agra since 1998 and Tan Sen had also joined the service at precisely the same time and was promoted as her senior last year and it was then, that her trauma began. First she was deliberately posted in the section specialised in conducting tests on vaginal swabs of rape victims and then Tan Sen began asking her to bring the findings to his home.
When she went to his home with the reports, it became a routine affair for Tan Sen to make sexually-laced comments on the reports, asking her to re-test the slides in front of him. According to Ms. Gupta, whose husband is presently working in Mumbai, Tan Sen even tried to establish sexual relations with her a couple of times, after which, she stopped taking the reports to his home for evaluation. The harassment, however, continued in the form of occasional "patting" by him while she was bending down on a microscope to test a slide.
It was then, that she finally filed a formal complaint before the Director of the UP forensic department in September but no action was taken on her complaint. Instead, her confidential complaint was leaked to Tan Sen who now began making open threats against her through SMS, phone calls and even a notice threatening to implicate her in a case of "Dalit Harassment".
Tired of facing continual harassment, Ms Gupta finally complained to the Senior Superintendent of Police Agra against Tan Sen and an FIR was registered against the scientist by the police on Monday.
According to Ambesh Tyagi, Inspector in-charge, Rakabganj police station Ms Gupta had charged Tan Sen of sexual harassment and making threats to her life and accordingly, a case had been registered under Sections 294, 504 and 506 IPC against him by the police.
But when The Pioneer contacted Dr GR Sethi, Director, UP Forensic Department, he claimed that a departmental inquiry had been setup on the complaint of Ms Neeta Gupta back in December and Tan Sen had been transferred from the laboratory in Agra to a field unit on 12th December.
He said that the inquiry was being headed by a joint director level official posted at Agra and appropriate action shall be taken against the senior scientist if Ms Gupta's allegations were found to be true.
Sangeeta Kumari, Joint Director, Forensic Science Laboratory Agra said that Tan Sen was presently working with a field unit of the department at Gonda after being relieved from Agra on 12th December and the complainant Ms Gupta had gone on an extended leave to her home in Mumbai since 17th December and further inquiry in the case was only possible after Ms Gupta returned to Agra.
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