IAS officer held in Jharkhand for sexually harassing student, say Police

KHUNTI: An IAS officer was detained in Jharkhand's Khunti district for allegedly sexually harassing a trainee engineering student, police said on Tuesday.

The officer of the 2019 batch was taken into custody on Monday night after a case was lodged at the Khunti women's police station, Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar said.

A case has been filed under IPC sections 354A (sexual harassment) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), he said.

Eight engineering students from outside the state, including the survivor, were in Khunti for training, Kumar said.

They attended a dinner hosted at the Deputy Development Commissioner's residence on Saturday when the incident took place, he said.

At the party, the IAS officer found the female student alone, and allegedly sexually harassed her, she told police in a statement.

Prima facie, the allegation was found to be true after the officer and some guests who attended the party were questioned, the SP said. The student was sent for a medical check-up, he said.