24 women teachers allege harassment by male colleague; accused still on duty at Chandigarh school

CHANDIGARH: More than two months after 24 women staff members of a govt senior secondary school lodged a formal complaint against a male colleague alleging harassment and intimidation, the accused continues to remain on duty, with no interim administrative action taken so far, sources said.

The complaint was submitted on Feb 12 to the school's Internal Complaints Committee under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act. Despite the complaint and the number of signatories, the accused has neither been transferred nor sent on leave and continues to attend school, sharing the same workspace as the complainants.

In their written submission, the women alleged use of abusive and derogatory language, verbal threats, intimidating behaviour and unwelcome physical proximity, claiming that these acts compromised their dignity and safety at the workplace. The complaint states that the conduct created a hostile and humiliating work environment and was not limited to isolated incidents.

The document also refers to a specific incident in which the accused allegedly behaved in an aggressive and intimidating manner, moved uncomfortably close to women staff members and made demeaning remarks, leaving them distressed.

Seeking immediate action, the complainants demanded that the matter be promptly taken up by the ICC and that interim protective measures be put in place without delay. They also warned that failure to act could compel them to pursue criminal proceedings.

However, the lack of interim relief has emerged as a key concern. According to school sources, no temporary measures have been initiated so far, and the accused continues to function in the same environment. Director school education Nitish Singla did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment.

Sources said apart from the school-level ICC, the education department has constituted a separate committee comprising principals of at least three govt schools along with a senior district education official to examine the matter.

The move has raised concerns among some staff members over the need for a parallel panel when a duly constituted ICC already exists within the school and is mandated to address such complaints.

Under the prescribed framework, institutions are required to have an ICC to handle workplace harassment complaints. A district-level Local Complaints Committee is generally invoked only if no ICC exists or if the complaint is against the employer.

The present arrangement has, therefore, prompted procedural questions, though no official clarification has been issued. For now, despite the passage of over two months since the complaint was filed by 24 staff members, no interim administrative action has been taken, and the accused continues to attend school as usual.

What the rules say?

Under the POSH framework, complaints of sexual harassment are to be examined by the institution’s Internal Complaints Committee. A local complaints committee at the district level is typically constituted only when an ICC is not in place or when the complaint is against the employer, raising questions over the need for parallel panels in the present case.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
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