IAS officer under probe for alleged sexual harassment; Nagaland Police forms SIT
Several women working in IDAN accused the officer of asking for physical indulgence for a hike in salary & employment;
A file image of the Nagaland Police Headquarters in Kohima. (Photo: @LMKhaute/X)
Kohima, April 13: The Nagaland Police have registered an FIR and set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the allegations of sexual and mental harassment of several women employees of the Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN) by an IAS officer.
The police headquarters, in a statement on Saturday, said the chairperson of the Nagaland State Women Commission (NSCW), Nginyeih Konyak, submitted a written complaint to the DGP on March 17 based on a February-27 verbal intimation from IDAN chairman and Adviser to the Chief Minister, Abu Metha, against the IAS officer.
It said that the NSCW recorded the statements of several women working in IDAN against the IAS officer a joint secretary on March 5.
Several women working in IDAN have accused the IAS officer of asking for physical indulgence for a hike in salary and also employment.
However, the IAS officer has denied the allegations.
A formal forwarding letter, along with the victims’ complaint addressed to Abu Metha, was submitted by the IDAN chairman to the NSCW on March 3. These documents were later forwarded to the police headquarters, prompting a preliminary enquiry, it said.
The police headquarters on March 25 had assigned a woman Deputy SP to conduct the inquiry. The Deputy SP inquiry report submitted on April 1, found prima facie evidence supporting the allegations of the women employees of IDAN against the IAS officer and recommended a deeper criminal investigation, it said.
Subsequently, an FIR was registered on April 2, it said.
The police headquarters said that a SIT led by a senior IPS officer, was constituted on April 5 to probe the matter. It added that the SIT is examining all dimensions of the case.
In 2021, the IAS officer while serving as the Deputy Commissioner of Noklak, was booked for allegedly molesting two underage domestic workers at his official residence. A charge sheet was submitted on December 2, 2021, and the special POCSO court in Tuensang took cognizance of the matter, it added.
