By IANS,
Ratnagiri : A top district health official, accused of sexual harassment, was attacked, stripped and assaulted by some women colleagues, a government official said Thursday.
“The women, including at least two employees in the district health department office, stormed into the cabin of District Health Officer (DHO) Pradeep Savale shortly after lunch break,” Ratnagiri Chief Executive Officer K.S. Shingare told IANS.
“Among other allegations, they have accused him of ‘sexual harassment’, and the police have stepped into the picture. Savale is being sent to the government hospital for a medical check-up,” Shingare said.
Savale was dragged out of his office, stripped to the waist and assaulted by the group of women, whose identity is not yet known.
He added that some women employees had made similar complaints against the 57-year-old Savale in the recent past.
Among the allegations against him were that he threatened to ‘transfer’ the women employees if they rejected his overtures. He allegedly would go to their homes at odd hours, send SMSes and make blank calls.
Following this, a high-level team conducted a departmental inquiry against him two months ago. The report of the inquiry committee and its recommendations are still awaited, Shingare said.
Savale was transferred to Ratnagiri two and a half years ago from Sholapur.
An official from Ratnagiri police station said that though the victim has been brought to the station house, preliminary inquiries were going on prior to lodging a formal complaint or taking action against the women.