Chandigarh: In a fresh escalation of a workplace harassment case in a government school, the UT education secretary has formally written to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), requesting a criminal investigation into a complaint signed by 24 female staff members.
The issue was initially taken up at the highest administrative level through the office of the UT administrator. The education department has now forwarded the complaint, which was earlier sent by the officer on special duty (OSD) to the UT administrator, along with its communication to the SSP. The letter, marked “most urgent,” urges the police to “examine and investigate the matter thoroughly” and notes that the complaint contains “serious allegations including sexual harassment, academic victimisation, and related irregularities.”
Senior police officials have confirmed receipt of the letter. SSP Kanwardeep Kaur stated that it was received on Thursday and that the area Station House Officer (SHO) has been directed to visit the school on Saturday. The SHO will interact with all concerned individuals and carry out a preliminary verification. Further action will be taken in accordance with the law, the SSP added.
This development places the case on a third track, alongside an ongoing departmental inquiry and proceedings before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). The education department had previously issued a transfer order as an interim administrative measure, but CAT stayed that order. During the hearing on April 29, the department did not place detailed submissions on record, according to sources familiar with the proceedings.
The original complaint, submitted on February 12 to the school’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), has been signed by 24 female staff members. It alleges a pattern of behavior including abusive and gendered language, intimidation, and unwelcome physical proximity. The complainants have stated that the conduct created a “hostile, unsafe, and humiliating work environment.” Sources indicated that no interim safeguards were implemented for more than two months.
