IPS officer suspended for sexual harassment

Chennai: IPS officer and joint commissioner of police (traffic, north) D Magesh Kumar, was on Thursday placed under suspension after two women traffic police constables filed a sexual harassment complaint against him.
According to sources, the two constables lodged a formal complaint with the state Director-General of Police, Shankar Jiwal.
One of the survivors alleged that Magesh Kumar had been harassing her for several months, demanding sexual favours. When she rejected his advances, he reportedly continued to harass her through text messages and video calls. He is also said to have subjected her to physical harassment. She provided screenshots of these communications as evidence in her complaint.
The complaint has been forwarded to the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), which is headed by a DGP-rank officer, Seema Agarwal, for further investigation. A
ppropriate disciplinary and legal action will follow based on the recommendations and findings of the committee. They are expected to conduct inquiries with people who are privy to the case.
A Deputy Inspector-General (DIG)-rank officer, Magesh Kumar was the joint commissioner for traffic (south), until Dec last year before being transferred to traffic (north).
Sources said Magesh Kumar was on medical leave for the past week. A native of Dindigul, Magesh Kumar joined the force as DSP in 1999 and was later conferred with IPS.
He previously served as deputy commissioner of police in Ambattur and as superintendent of police in Krishnagiri district.
Meanwhile, an inspector from the Madhavaram traffic enforcement has also been removed from the post and suspended after accusations surfaced that he had been pressuring several female constables into providing sexual favours for his superior.