Port Blair: Senior IAS officer suspended over rape charge

NEW DELHI: The home ministry on Monday ordered the immediate suspension of IAS officer Jitendra Narain over charges of sexually assaulting a woman at his Port Blair residence during his last posting as chief secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The action against the 1990 batch officer belonging to the AGMUT cadre comes a day after the home ministry received a report from the Andaman and Nicobar Police regarding the alleged sexual assault in which another senior government officer is also the co-accused.
The home ministry also decided to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Narain, currently posted as chairman and managing director of Delhi Financial Corporation. He was replaced in July 2022 by Keshav Chandra, a 1995 batch IAS officer, as chief secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
"The government is committed to ensuring zero tolerance towards the acts of indiscipline by its officials irrespective of their rank and status, especially with regard to incidents involving the dignity of women," the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The 21-year-old survivor has accused Narain and another officer, labour commissioner R L Rishi, of raping her on two occasions - in April and May this year - at the former's residence, on the pretext of offering her a government job. She lodged a police complaint on August 22 and an FIR was registered at the Aberdeen police station in Port Blair - with the intervention of the local chief judicial magistrate - on October 1. A special investigation team was set up to look into the allegations levelled by the woman, who has reportedly been provided security.
The ministry said that the report received by it from the A&N police on Sunday had "indicated the possibility of grave misconduct and misuse of official position on the part of Jitendra Narain." Taking serious view of the matter, home minister Amit Shah directed that immediate strict action be taken as per law against the officer.
Jitendra Narain, according to an earlier news agency report, had labelled the sexual assault charges against him "absurd".
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)