In view of the complaints of sexual discrimination, exploitation and harassment made by presenters of the FM Gold channel against Director General of All India Radio (AIR) leela Dhar Mandloi and other officials, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Wednesday constituted a Committee to look into their allegations.
The Committee will be headed by an officer of the Joint Secretary level and have two other senior women officers as members. It will look into the specific allegations made by Radio presenters of FM Gold represented by the AIR Broadcasting Professionals Association (AIRBPA). It will also look into the issues relating to safety at workplace of women employees and submit its report within 3 days, an official release said.
The presenters said they had in the past complained to the ministry, Prasar Bharati and AIR officials but since their grievance against “bad behaviour and sexist mindset of AIR officials” towards presenters — who are most casual workers — were not heeded. So, they have now complained to the Delhi Commission of Women and are also planning to approach the National Commission for Women on Thursday.
“We have to constantly face overt advances and sexist remarks of the officials,” women presenters of the channel said. They quoted Mandloi allegedly making offensive remarks like “….Abhi to channel Gold hai aap gold nahin hain….Aap to abhi chandi bhi nahin hain”’ to them. At the relaunch of the channel he mocked presenters and told them that they would have to prove that they were really Gold otherwise “Mujhe market se doosra sona uthana padega.”
AIRBPA said that presenters have to face such attacks on self respect and dignity regularly and if someone raised their voice taking advantage of their being casual staff they are not given any duty.
Moreover, they alleged, most the time presenters are forced to meet Programme Executives and “chat with them and pamper their egos” while Duty Officers are often harassing them by making obscene comments and gestures on the guise of grading their work. We are also forced to do extra shows and often not provided transport to the doorstep during night and early morning hours despite the prevailing unsafe environment in the capital, presenters have alleged. They said AIR has no forum to register their grievance and the broadcaster has not made any effort to inform its women employees about the Vishakha judgement of the Supreme Court.