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A trainee IAS officer in Madhya Pradesh had filed a sexual harassment complaint against a Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission official for sending her lewd messages.
She shared the trauma she had to go through not just by the perpetrator but by the country’s judicial system as well. “Idiots are lined up at every step,” Riju Bafna said in a post on Facebook that has since gone viral.
Social media has again proved its power by creating a furor over an update by IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh.
While writing on Facebook she said, “Hi everyone. I am posting this message to share my experience with the judiciary on a sexual harassment case filed by me.
Santosh Chaubey, Aayogmitra of MP Human Rights Commission was sending me indecent messages last week. I had filed an FIR against him and criminal action is being pursued against him. He was immediately removed from his job, thanks to the swift action by Collector, Shri Bharat Yadav.
Today, I went to give my statement to the Judicial Magistrate. While I was giving my statement, an advocate named Lalit Sharma was standing next, overhearing my statement, along with others in the court. I asked the judicial magistrate to ask others to leave as I was uncomfortable giving my statement in front of so many people. On saying this, Lalit Sharma started shouting at me, saying "how dare you suggest me to leave, I am an advocate here and you might be an officer in your office but not in the Court". I told him that the privacy I am demanding is not as an IAS officer but as a woman and laws provide me with that. He started arguing and eventually left.
Such is the state of affairs for women in this country. When I said to Judicial Magistrate that he should be careful of presence of other people when a woman is giving statement under sexual harassment case, he said that you are young and that's why demanding such things.
Insensitive people are lined up at every step and people are highly insensitive towards our sufferings. If you are born in this country, better prepare yourself for the struggle at every step.”
Yesterday she again wrote a post on Facebook highlighting the fact that she is getting support from all the authorities of Madhya Pradesh and put emphasis on general lack of women-friendly procedure in such cases.
Writing further she said, “As civil servants, we must focus on how the institutions of the State should become more humane and sympathetic to the common people they serve and to strive for changes in the system that will facilitate better, honorable and dignified interaction with the State for every citizen. And it is in this regard that I intend my post to be seen- not merely a redressal for wrongs that might have been done but to bring up for public reasoning, an important aspect of our judicial and administrative system.”
