A 51-year-old human resources (HR) manager of a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm was arrested on Friday in connection with an alleged sexual abuse and harassment case involving multiple employees, commissioner of police for Nashik City Sandeep Karnik said.
The Nashik city police on Thursday had served a notice to the HR manager, a resident of Lullanagar in Pune, seeking an explanation of her role in a case in which six employees have been arrested on charges of sexual abuse and harassment.
Karnik said that nine employees of the firm had lodged complaints against seven senior officials of the company, including the HR manager, for alleged sexual abuse, harassment, and hurting religious sentiments.
The case first came to light after a woman employee lodged a complaint at Deolali police station on March 26, accusing a senior colleague of rape. Subsequently, eight more employees — including one male staffer — filed complaints in phases at Mumbai Naka police station, with the last FIR registered on April 3, alleging sexual harassment.
One of the complainants accused the HR manager of taking the issue “lightly” when her attention was drawn. She had allegedly advised them not to take the matter seriously. “One of the complainants has specifically accused the HR manager of trivialising the issue when it was first brought to her notice,” another senior officer said.
The HR manager was booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), with provisions related to abetment of an offence and defamation through words, signs or representation, a police officer said, adding that her role is being examined in terms of how the complaints were handled internally.
Investigators said they are probing whether there was a deliberate attempt to suppress complaints or shield the accused officials, which could amount to complicity.
Police officers said that the HR manager is likely to be produced along with the other six accused in the case, whose police remand ends today.