In a shocking revelation, four women have come forward with complaints of sexual harassment against Premoday Khakha, a suspended assistant director of the Delhi government's women and child development (WCD) department. Khakha was arrested on Monday under allegations of repeatedly raping a minor girl at his residence between November 2020 and January 2021. While this case has taken center stage, two other complaints by women against Khakha are now pending before the Delhi High Court, shedding light on a disturbing pattern of behavior.
Between 2018 and 2022, four women employed at a mental health unit within the Sewa Kutir complex in Kingsway Camp, where Khakha was stationed as a superintendent, filed complaints of sexual harassment against him. These women, working for a non-governmental organization (NGO), had contractual roles at the mental health unit. The complainants consisted of two counselors, a clinical psychologist, and an anonymous individual who lodged similar charges against Khakha.
A senior official from the WCD department, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the existence of these complaints. According to sources and documents seen by HT, the internal committee (IC) of the WCD department investigated two of the complaints and concluded that the harassment allegations could not be proven. In response, both complainants escalated the matter to the Delhi High Court.
In a notable turn, the department filed an affidavit for one case in February 2022, with the hearing scheduled for September 2023. The second case's affidavit was submitted in June 2023, and the hearing is set for November 2023. In a separate move, the third complainant approached the high court in June 2021 but was directed to seek recourse from the appropriate authority. The details of subsequent actions in this case remain undisclosed.
Khakha's legal representative, Uma Shanker Gautam, expressed surprise at the sexual harassment complaints, claiming no prior knowledge. However, these allegations stand starkly against the accusations presented by the complainants. One victim described Khakha's actions, stating that he consistently made inappropriate comments about her appearance, and even attempted to coerce her into sexual activity. She also recounted an incident where he attempted to pull her onto his lap in front of colleagues, leading her to resign and file a complaint.
The second and third victims described Khakha as a constant source of fear in their workplace, alleging not only lewd comments but also physical harassment. The second complainant even claimed that Khakha had attempted to drug her, causing her to feel dizzy and vulnerable.
#DelhiNews #PremodayKhakha #SwatiMaliwal #MinorGirl #Delhi #SmritiIrani #WomenAndChildWelfare #RapeCase #HWNews #ArvindKejriwal #WomenSafety #Harassment #WCD
Between 2018 and 2022, four women employed at a mental health unit within the Sewa Kutir complex in Kingsway Camp, where Khakha was stationed as a superintendent, filed complaints of sexual harassment against him. These women, working for a non-governmental organization (NGO), had contractual roles at the mental health unit. The complainants consisted of two counselors, a clinical psychologist, and an anonymous individual who lodged similar charges against Khakha.
A senior official from the WCD department, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the existence of these complaints. According to sources and documents seen by HT, the internal committee (IC) of the WCD department investigated two of the complaints and concluded that the harassment allegations could not be proven. In response, both complainants escalated the matter to the Delhi High Court.
In a notable turn, the department filed an affidavit for one case in February 2022, with the hearing scheduled for September 2023. The second case's affidavit was submitted in June 2023, and the hearing is set for November 2023. In a separate move, the third complainant approached the high court in June 2021 but was directed to seek recourse from the appropriate authority. The details of subsequent actions in this case remain undisclosed.
Khakha's legal representative, Uma Shanker Gautam, expressed surprise at the sexual harassment complaints, claiming no prior knowledge. However, these allegations stand starkly against the accusations presented by the complainants. One victim described Khakha's actions, stating that he consistently made inappropriate comments about her appearance, and even attempted to coerce her into sexual activity. She also recounted an incident where he attempted to pull her onto his lap in front of colleagues, leading her to resign and file a complaint.
The second and third victims described Khakha as a constant source of fear in their workplace, alleging not only lewd comments but also physical harassment. The second complainant even claimed that Khakha had attempted to drug her, causing her to feel dizzy and vulnerable.
#DelhiNews #PremodayKhakha #SwatiMaliwal #MinorGirl #Delhi #SmritiIrani #WomenAndChildWelfare #RapeCase #HWNews #ArvindKejriwal #WomenSafety #Harassment #WCD
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NewsTranscript
00:00 In a shocking revelation, four women have come forward with complaints of sexual harassment
00:04 against Premude Khakha, a suspended assistant director of the Delhi government's Women
00:09 and Child Development Department.
00:10 Hello everyone, my name is Zehnaab Zulkutty and welcome to HW News English.
00:15 Khakha was arrested on Monday under allegations of repeatedly raping a minor girl at his residence
00:21 between November 2020 and Jan 2021.
00:23 While this case has taken centre stage, two other complaints by women against Khakha are
00:29 now pending before the Delhi High Court, shedding light on a disturbing pattern of behaviour.
00:34 Between 2018 and 2022, four women employed at a mental health unit within the Seva Kutir
00:40 complex in Kingsway Camp, where Khakha was stationed as a superintendent, filed complaints
00:46 of sexual harassment against him.
00:49 These women, working for a non-governmental organisation, had contractual roles at the
00:53 mental health unit.
00:55 The complainants consist of two counsellors, a clinical psychologist and an anonymous individual
01:01 who lodged similar charges against Khakha.
01:03 A senior official from the WCDA department, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed
01:08 the existence of these complaints.
01:10 According to sources and documents seen by Hindustan Time, the internal committee of
01:14 the WCDA department investigated two of the complaints and concluded that the harassment
01:19 allegations could not be proven.
01:21 In response, both complainants escalated the matter to the Delhi High Court.
01:26 In a notable turn, the department filed an affidavit for one case in February 2022, with
01:31 the hearing scheduled for September 2023.
01:34 The second case's affidavit was submitted in June 2023 and the hearing is set for November
01:40 2023.
01:41 In a separate move, the third complainant approached the High Court in June 2021 but
01:46 was directed to seek recourse from the appropriate authority.
01:50 The details of subsequent actions in this case remain undisclosed.
01:54 Khakha's legal representative Uma Shankar Gautam expressed surprise at the sexual harassment
02:00 complaints, claiming no prior knowledge.
02:02 However, these allegations stand starkly against the accusations presented by the complainants.
02:08 One victim described Khakha's actions, stating that he consistently made inappropriate comments
02:13 about her appearance and even attempted to coerce her into sexual activity.
02:19 She also recounted an incident where he attempted to pull her onto his lap in front of colleagues,
02:24 leading her to resign and file a complaint.
02:27 The second and third victims described Khakha as a constant source of fear in their workplace,
02:33 alleging not only lewd comments but also physical harassment.
02:37 The second complainant even claimed that Khakha attempted to drug her, causing her to feel
02:41 dizzy and vulnerable.
02:43 Khakha's rise within the department is noteworthy, having joined as a probation welfare officer
02:49 in 1996 and eventually serving as an officer on social duty for the WCD department.
02:56 His tenure spanned over 25 years, during which he ascended to positions of considerable power
03:01 within the WCD department.
03:04 These accusations have raised questions about the working environment within the Delhi government's
03:08 WCD department and its response to such complaints.
03:12 Rajendra Pal Gautam, who held the WCD portfolio until March 2022, denied any knowledge of
03:18 sexual harassment complaints during his tenure.
03:21 Kailash Ghailo, the WCD minister between 2022 and earlier this year, has yet to respond
03:26 to requests for comments.
03:29 As the cases proceed before the Delhi High Court, they spotlight the importance of addressing
03:33 workplace harassment and the critical need for a safe and supportive environment for
03:37 all employees.
03:38 The outcome of these legal proceedings will not only determine justice for the victims
03:44 but also send a strong message about the consequences of such behaviour within government institutions.
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04:08 (dramatic music)