Coimbatore: The forest department has finally transferred the forester, against who a temporary woman staff had lodged a sexual harassment complaint, to ensure a free and fair inquiry.
S Kannan, who was working with Karadimadai section of Madukarai forest range in Coimbatore circle was transferred to Vellore circle on Friday, with immediate effect.
Earlier, chief conservator of forest Deepak Srivastava had written to the department headquarters, seeking immediate transfer of the forester. “We will relieve him from the Coimbatore circle on Saturday. This is to prevent the forester from influencing the inquiry committee,” Srivastava said.
The forester, however, would have to come to the city for inquiry, which would be done in three sittings.
According to a source with the forest department, the chief conservator of forest has also sought an explanation from the district forest officer (DFO) D Venkatesh on the termination of 42-year-old victim, who was a temporary computer operator with Karadimadai section of Madukarai range.
The woman, who was sexually harassed for months together, had taken up the issue with the DFO on July 23. The DFO subsequently constituted a three-member inquiry committee headed by R Kalamani, a superintendent with the Madukarai range, to probe the charges.
Panel members had on August 10 shot off a letter to the DFO seeking immediate transfer of the forester, saying he had been threatening them not to implicate him. However, instead of transferring the forester, the superintendent was shunted out to Gudulur on August 23, days after the forest staff association passed a resolution levelling corruption charges against her.
She was transferred despite the DFO clarifying that he hadn’t received any complaint against her and that there were no pending inquiries against her. It was later told that her transfer was part of routine procedure.
Meanwhile, the chief conservator of forest dissolved the three-member committee on August 28, saying there were chances of scuttling the probe as the panel head was a junior-level officer to the accused forester and the members were from the same circle. He then formed a five-member inquiry committee, comprising four senior officials and an activist from Osai, an environmental organisation.
The new panel is expected to commence the probe on September 5 and submit the report on September 25.
