TURA, Sept 15: The Mothers’ Union from Tura which is taking up the case of alleged harassment of two lower employees at the College of Home Science in Tura on Wednesday has questioned the recent development in which the college authority was directed by its Registrar to give a ‘mental disturbance certificate’ to the two alleged victims of harassment.
Two employees of the college had earlier alleged harassment meted out to them by the college authority Pushpita Das who made them do additional and degrading tasks out of their work schedule. The sensitive issue has been going on for some time and an FIR in this regard has also been filed with the Officer in-charge of the Tura Women’s Police Station.
According to the employees, apart from performing their official duties they were made to visit the official quarters of das in the evenings and made to do household chores like cooking, cleaning and sweeping. The employees also alleged that they were detained at the quarter for as late as 9:30 PM in the evening and made to perform a body massage on Das while she lay half clothed.
Speaking to media persons during a press conference called at her residence, President of the Mothers’ Union, Sume C B Sangma termed the act of the university authorities as insensitive and condemnable.
“Is it possible to tag a person as mentally disturbed by another merely by giving them a certificate. This act by the Registrar is condemnable in the strongest terms and shows that the university is not committed to resolve the issue,” Sangma said.
Sangma said that the two victims were sent to the Local Complaint Committee (LCC) under the Deputy Commissioner and other district officials as the issue could not be taken up in the Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) of the college since the alleged harassment on the employees was being committed by the Dean, who is the college authority herself. However, she added that even during this time the harassment of the victims continued without ceasing.
“We were appalled as it is, to hear about the harassment and decided to take up the matter. However, the recent direction from the registrar was the last straw and we decided to hold a press conference to bring the issue into the public domain,” Sangma informed.