The woes of FM Gold Radio presenters, who had complained against AIR authorities for sexual harassment, has not come to an end despite the Government constituting a panel to look into their complaints. In fact, their problems have been compounded as now they are being targeted by the same authorities against whom they have filed complaints in the National Commission for Women and Delhi Commission for Women.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry, which was very prompt in constituting a three-member panel to look into complaints of radio presenters against officials, including AIR Station Director leela Dhar Mandloi following media reports, has failed to keep the deadline. This has exposed the presenters, most of them casual artists, to further harassment like not being given any duty. Some of them have even been debarred from entering the premises of AIR.
Headed by Joint Secretary in the Ministry Supriya Sahu, the panel was set up on March 6. It was initially directed to submit its report within three days. However, despite the passage of about two weeks, the panel has not given its findings. The presenters of FM Rainbow and FM Gold have already submitted before the panel.
Meanwhile, the authorities have debarred about five of them from entering the Akashvani Bhavan and stopped giving further contracts to some others. One presenter, who took the lead in highlighting the harassment, faced a peculiar situation when she found her name removed from the duty chart.
Curiously, Assistant Station Director K Subaramanian issued her a letter dated March 6 signed claiming she had torn the last page of Production Sheet on February 26 which carried details of the commercial spot for broadcast. This, he said, affected broadcast of commercial and affected revenue generation. The authorities have also accused her of “irresponsible behaviour” by not submitting scripts on time.
The official gave no evidence to substantiate the charge. Nor did they produce any torn sheet or evidence to show the complicity of the particular presenter in the matter.
Interestingly, the March 6 letter said that letters were also sent to her in this regard in September, October and December 2012 and even on November 10, and November 15, 2012. The letter said that since she had not apologised, she would not be given any contract in future.
Another presenter, who even approached the Ministry and Prasar Bharati CEO Jawahar Sircar with the complaint of on sexual harassment, has not got any relief. She has already appeared before the Panel, but but not heard anything from it. In the present situation, these presenters, who have been working on casual basis for years, are clueless on how to get justice. All this is happening when Parliament has passed a legislation providing stringent punishment against various kind of sexual harassment.