The Tamil Nadu government late on March 18 suspended former Special Director-General of Police pending inquiry, police sources said. The senior IPS officer is facing charges of sexual harassment levelled by a woman IPS officer.
The suspension of the officer, who is presently under compulsory wait, comes a couple of days after the Madras High Court wondered why the former Special DGP who was accused of having made sexual advances towards a woman Superintendent of Police had not yet been suspended.
The government had earlier suspended the then Chengalpet SP soon after transferring him to the Commercial Crimes Investigation Wing. He was accused by the complainant of intercepting her car while she was proceeding to meet the Home Secretary and DGP/Head of Police Force to lodge the complaint of sexual harassment and forcing her to talk to the accused officer.
The State was left with no other option after the court observed that a person facing sexual harassment charges must be suspended before proceeding with an inquiry. Besides an Internal Inquiry Committee headed by a senior woman IAS officer, the Crime Branch CID has also registered a case against the former Special DGP, the former Chengalpet SP and others.
"The officer has been suspended on the basis of the enquiries made so far on the complaint of sexual harassment and also the observations made by the Madras High Court on the issue," a senior police official told The Hindu on March 18.
