Odisha Ayush director arrested for 'harassing' female colleague

BHUBANESWAR: Mahila police here on Thursday arrested state Ayush director Bibhu Prasad Sarangi, a senior Odisha administrative service (OAS) officer, for allegedly harassing a female colleague and sending obscene messages to her phone.
The police action followed a complaint lodged by the 25-year-old woman with the police on Monday. Police had booked Sarangi under sections 354-D (stalking), 294 (obscene act), 506 (criminal intimidation), 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication) and 509 (word or gesture intended to insult woman) of IPC and other relevant sections of the information technology Act.
Sarangi had appeared before the Mahila police in the morning to face questioning. “We had sent a notice to him to face interrogation. After proper inquiry and verification of the allegation, we found evidence against him. He has been arrested,” additional commissioner-cum-deputy commissioner of police Anup Kumar Sahoo said. Following the new protocol, the police were scheduled to conduct Covid-19 test on Sarangi in addition to the routine health check-up before producing him in the court.
While being taken to Capital Hospital for health examination, Sarangi pleaded innocence. “It is a conspiracy against me. The charges are false and fabricated. I will prove my innocence in the court,” Sarangi told mediapersons outside the police station.
As Sarangi is likely to face suspension, the health department said a departmental proceeding will be initiated against him. “We have the standard protocol to initiate departmental proceeding against officers involved in criminal cases,” a health department official said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sarangi had lodged a counter complaint against the woman, who is an outsourced contractual employee. He had said the woman was appointed by the outsourced company for engagement in the state programme management unit (PMU) under national Ayush mission in his office. Sarangi said he recently detected that her appointment was illegal and contravened the guidelines of national Ayush mission. In his counter complaint, Sarangi alleged she levelled false charges against her as he was scheduled to disengage her from the contractual service.