Chandigarh Police that carries the tag of “We care for you” lacks a mechanism to protect its own women employees from sexual harassment even on the workplaces. The surprising disclosure has come out in a petition filed by a personnel of the force itself.
In a petition filed by one Jagjeet Singh, seeking effective implementation of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 in Chandigarh police and other departments of Chandigarh, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday put Chandigarh Administration, Home Secretary and Inspector-General of Police on notice.
The petitioner, Jagjeet Singh, a member of the Chandigarh police, who conducted a survey on 250 women constable in Chandigarh Police, has said that 71 percent of the women surveyed have admitted the existence of incidents of sexual harassment in Chandigarh police.
Presenting the results of the survey, the petitioner has claimed that 97 per cent of them were not aware about the Act and its provisions. As many as 86 percent of the women constables are not even aware of the Internal Complaint Committee, as per the survey.
The petitioner claimed that strict adherence of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 was necessary to prevent and prohibit sexual harassment at workplace in Chandigarh Police Department as well as in other departments of Chandigarh.