A day after a 35-year-old senior executive of global IT company Genpact committed suicide at his Noida home following complaints of sexual harassment by two of his colleagues, police on Thursday registered an FIR against company’s management and two women employees for abetment to suicide.
The victim, Swaroop Raj, was suspended by the company following complaints of sexual harassment at workplace by two women employees.
According to a senior police official, Swaroop Raj, an assistant vice-president in Genpact, was found hanging from the ceiling fan by his wife at their home in Sector 137 in Noida on Wednesday.
“Raj was barred by the company from taking any official work pending enquiry into the allegations made against him by two employees recently,” the senior police official said, adding that Raj had joined Genpact in 2007 and was promoted to the senior post recently.
Police reached the spot and sent his body for post-mortem after being informed about the incident, said Gautam Buddh Nagar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Pal Sharma.
The SSP said a purported suicide note was found from the spot. Raj had addressed the suicide note to his wife. In the letter, Raj claimed that the allegations against him were “baseless” but people would “look at him with the same suspicious eye even if he comes clean”.
“I want to let you know how much I love you. Two of the employees have accused me of sexual harassment, but trust me I didn’t do anything. I know the world will not understand this, but you and our families should trust me. The allegations are baseless and the entire Genpact will soon know about it,” the letter read.
“I don’t have the courage to face everyone. I want you to be strong and live your life with respect; your husband has not done anything. I am leaving as everyone will look at me with suspicion even if I come clean,” the note read.
Confirming the temporary suspension, Genpact condoled the death but maintained that it would prefer to protect the privacy and not divulge the details of the sexual harassment complaint.
“The complaint made serious allegations of sexual harassment which are being duly investigated by the Internal Complaints committee.
To have a fair, uninfluenced enquiry, he was placed under temporary suspension pending the closure of the enquiry in line with legal requirement and company policy so that Internal Complaints committee could carry out a reasonable investigation into the allegations received from two female employees,” said a company spokesperson.
The spokesperson further said, “This is a very difficult time for all of us. As an organisation and as friends and colleagues of the deceased, our hearts go out to his family in this time of grief. We implore the public and media to give them the space and dignity they deserve.”