Shillong: What’s happening in Meghalaya? Another woman being harassed by a high ranking official? This time the official withheld the woman’s salary (she is a peon in a state government office)  for 6 months because she refused to move in with him!

The Meghalaya State Commission for Women today wrote to the state soil and water conservation department following alleged sexual harassment of a female employee by an officer of the department.

MSCW chairperson Theilin Phanbuh told a local newspaper that the commission wanted to know “if an internal complaint committee has been set up under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and whether the grievances of the female employee have been addressed accordingly”.

 She also questioned the move of transferring the woman to another district after she raised an alarm against the officer.

The woman had joined service as orderly peon on October 15, 2015. She was attached with the director, D. Langstieh, who, to her surprise, asked her to work at his residence instead of the office. She, however, obeyed and got a salary like other government employees.

After working for a few months, the director asked her to stay with him at the quarters. When she raised questions, he stopped her from working at his residence and wrote to a senior treasury officer here on July 27 last year, asking him to withhold her salary with effect from July 1, 2016, on the ground that the employee had not “performed her duties for the last six to seven months”. She wrote to the director on September 28, 2016, requesting him to release her salary and allow her to work without staying at his residence since her house was nearby.

On getting no response, she wrote to minister Ronnie V. Lyngdoh on October 6 last year. In the petition, she said she was performing her duties with utmost sincerity. She also mentioned that “in addition to my duties, the director wanted me to stay in his quarters, which is not acceptable to me and my family. Though I stay near the quarters of the director, he wants me to stay at his residence after office hours. Since I failed to comply, he issued an order to withhold my pay for which I am facing financial crunch.”

She also told the minister: “I report directly to the director’s residence everyday and do not get a chance to sign the attendance register in the office. So it reflected from the order of the director (dated July 27, 2016) that I remained absent from duty for six to seventh months. Please relieve me of night duty at his residence.”

While no action was taken against the director, the woman was transferred from Shillong to the office of the joint director, soil and water conservation (research and training institute), Byrnihat, in Ri Bhoi district, on November 8 last year without any explanation. She was told that there was no quarters for her at Byrnihat and that she would have to stay at the quarters of the joint director.

On November 10, she wrote to the principal secretary R.M. Mishra as well as under secretary (soil and water conservation) requesting that her transfer be put on hold since she felt it was done with “malafide intention” to inconvenience her and harm her.

She waited for a response from the government, but when she did not receive one, she went to Byrnihat yesterday to join duty. There she was asked to produce her last pay certificate within two days. But she does not have one since her salary has not been paid for months and she was transferred without her pending salary being cleared, she told reporters who went to meet her.

“My grandmother is not happy about the transfer. She suffered a stroke and is in hospital at present. I have no option but to join duty at Byrnihat as I do not want to lose my job. I was asked to produce my last pay certificate within two days but I do not have one since I was transferred without paying my pending salary,” she said.

Sources said the treasury office was also surprised that she was transferred without clearing pending salary. “The treasury received a letter from the directorate only yesterday, seeking payment of her pending salary,” a source said.

When reporters met Mishra today, he admitted that he had received the complaint in November last year. He said he had referred it to the secretary (soil and water conservation), M.R. Synrem, to find out the facts. Based on the complaint, a reply was sought from the director and Synrem submitted his finding to him, Mishra said but refused to divulge further details.

Asked if the transfer order would be cancelled and action taken against the director, Mishra said, “The issue is serious and the government is taking appropriate measures.”

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 came into force on December 9, 2013. It provides protection against sexual harassment of women at workplace and for the prevention and redressal of complaints of sexual harassment. Every employer is required to constitute an internal complaints committee in every office and branch having 10 or more employees. The district officer is also required to constitute a local complaints committee in each district and, if required, at the block level.

  crime, Meghalaya, naked truth