The #Metoo movement has taken the country by storm, with more women calling out harassers and several organisations under the scanner for not doing enough to stop sexual harassment.
The latest controversy around Metoo has surfaced in All India Radio’s Shahdol station in Madhya Pradesh. Nine women have gone public alleging they were sexually harassed by Ratnakar Bharti, the station’s assistant director (programming).
It turns out that Bharti had previously faced charges and had already been declared guilty a year back by the Internal Complaint Committee of AIR. Even a police complaint was lodged against him. Yet, surprisingly, he still remains stationed in the Delhi headquarters while the nine women – who were all casual broadcasters – have been sacked.
According to a Times of India report, asked a about the case and other similar charges received from other stations, the Director General of All India Radio, Fayyaz Shehryar said that the Internal Complaints Committee has investigated each and every incident and assured that Bharti had been transferred immediately after the Shahdol incident and “remains under strictest vigilance”.
But he denied any link between the women getting fired and complaints against Bharti. According to him, the women were fired following a system already in place to terminate poor performers and had nothing to do with the complaints.
But the AIR has come under the scanner because of other complaints in other stations as well. Consequently, the All India Radio Trade union has moved Prasar Bharati Chief Executive, Shashi Shekhar Vempati, requesting him to reinstate the accusers and to take strict action against the suspects.
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