A DGP rank official who was accused of sexual harassment by a female IPS officer in Tamil Nadu was suspended on Thursday, after uproar over him being put on just compulsory wait despite the serious nature of allegations against him. Sources in the Tamil Nadu IPS cadre have confirmed that the suspension took place after pressure from senior officials.
The DGP rank official had allegedly sexually harassed another IPS officer in February while he was travelling in the same car with her. In her complaint, the woman official alleged that he held her hand, kissed it and made inappropriate comments to her. The incident allegedly took place in Karur on February 21, 2021. On learning that she was going to file a complaint, he then ordered Chengalpattu Superintendent of Police (SP) Kannan to stop her from doing so.
In her complaint, the woman alleged that 10 to 15 police personnel in Chengalpattu, led by SP D Kannan, Rural Inspector Suresh and Sub-Inspector Manikandan, stopped her vehicle. They allegedly blocked the car, threatened her PSO (personal security officer) and attempted to make her speak to the DGP rank oficial on the phone.
"The matter was only taken up after protests from so many IPS officers. The suspension order has been issued as a government order by the Home Secretary," a source in the TN IPS cadre said.
Meanwhile, SP Kannan has been suspended by the election commission. The commission ordered his transfer in March and reportedly mentioned that the officer was being investigated by the Crime Branch-CID in a case registered under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.
Several women IPS officers had met the Tamil Nadu DGP as well in connection with this case and requested swift justice for the survivor and also the suspension of all officers involved in the alleged case of sexual harassment.