Women’s commission to take up sexual harassment case
Srinagar: A day after the ‘Kashmir Vision’ published a report regarding the Wakf reinstating a cleric found guilty in a ‘sexual harassment’ case, the State Women’s Commission has taken strong cognizance of the news item with officials informing that they have begun to study the case.
Official sources in the SWC informed this newspaper that they have sought the records and the file pertaining the case to study it thoroughly.
“The commission is not aware about the case. We will study the case first and will take action accordingly,” the officials said.
They said that the case will be studied thoroughly so that justice will be done to the victim. “We have started initial investigation into the matter and the further step in this regard will be taken accordingly,” they said.
Pertinently, the Wakf board reinstated Molvi Akhzar after finding him guilty after a woman cop had made allegations against the accused.
Notably, the enquiry committee was set up by the Wakf board after a woman cop had made allegations against the accused. The audio clip of “lewd conversation” had also gone viral on social media in 2015.
The inquiry committee formed by the board was headed by Dr Kamal Farooqui and Nazir Ahmad Sofi, Aijaz Ahmad Mir and Mushtaq Ahmad Thania as its members.
In its report, the committee had said: “The committee found that there is an irrefutable substance in the allegations of the complainant. Respondent, despite his vain bid to wriggle out of allegations, couldn’t defend himself and finally accepted his guilt.”
The committee report reveals that the complainant in her statement recorded before the committee had said that the accused used to use highly objectionable and obscene language.
“He had done (this) with the sole aim of making sexual advances and securing sexual favours from the lady,” it reads.
In its report, the committee said that they have recorded the statements of all persons associated with the episode and also given due opportunity to the accused to defend himself.
“The lewd remarks of the accused are so uncivilized and unbecoming of Imam-i-Jumma of a shrine that investigation committee shudders and shivers to reproduce them in the text of the report and thus chooses to lay its hands on recorded (audio) clip of the conversation (of the accused with complainant on phone).
The audio clip which the cop filed before the Wakf inquiry committee had also gone viral on social media in 2015.
Meanwhile, talking to Kashmir Vision, one of the inquiry committee member who investigated the issue said that being a preacher, the Moulana after confessing the guilt has no right to be in the Muslim Wakf board.
“Such persons should be put behind the bars,” the member said.
The member wishing anonymity told this newspaper that the Moulana’s act has given bad impression on the ground.
“Action must be taken against him so that the society could be saved from such shameless persons,” he said.
The newspaper in its previous report had stated that according to the documents, the suspension period of the accused was treated as leave.
KV Correspondent
