Nagaland govt suspends IAS officer as sexual harassment probe underway

Kohima, May 22 (IANS) The Nagaland government has suspended a senior IAS officer Reny Wilfred from service after an investigation into several sexual complaints and mental harassment by women employees has been initiated against him earlier, officials said on Thursday.

A senior official said that Nagaland Chief Secretary J. Alam issued the suspension order invoking provisions of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, on Wednesday.

Wilfred, a 2015-batch IAS officer of the Nagaland cadre, has been serving as the Joint Secretary at the Finance Department and the Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN).

The Chief Secretary's order said that Wilfred's headquarters during the suspension period would be the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat, Kohima, the official added.

Earlier on March 17, a formal complaint was filed against the IAS officer by the Nagaland State Commission for Women (NSCW) to the Director General of Police Rupin Sharma after receiving complaints against him from several women employees who accused Wilfred of seeking sexual favours in exchange for salary hikes and employment opportunities.

Wilfred, however, has denied all the allegations against him.

The Nagaland Police last month constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and registered an FIR to probe the allegations of sexual and mental harassment of several women employees of the IDAN by the IAS officer.

Before submission of the written complaint to the DGP, the NSCW recorded the statements of the victim women.

After receiving the complaint from the NSCW, the police headquarters, as per the provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), instituted a preliminary enquiry on March 25 by a woman officer of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.

The influential Naga Students' Federation has also demanded Wilfred's suspension.

The federation emphasised that retaining him in office "undermines public trust and sends a dangerous message that institutional protection takes precedence over accountability".

--IANS

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