HT correspondent
Delhi chief secretary Naresh Kumar on Monday submitted an action-taken report in connection with the sexual harassment of a woman at a Bururi government hospital on December 18 — hours after health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the city’s top bureaucrat had failed to submit the report within the stipulated time.
The development comes at a time when the state government and the bureaucracy have been locked in a bitter tussle over a series of issues.
Kumar, in his report, asked the Delhi Police special commissioner (law and order) to look into the matter.
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The case concerns a woman working as a housekeeping staff on a contract basis at government hospital in Burari, who has accused her manager and three supervisors of molesting and harassing her and two other employees. The first information report (FIR) in this matter was filed on December 19, and Bharadwaj on Sunday sought an action-taken report from the chief secretary within six hours.
Kumar, in a statement, responded that Bharadwaj’s note was delivered to him through email at 10.15pm on Sunday (a holiday) — six hours after it was published on the Aam Aadmi Party’s official handle on X — and was delivered at his residence at 10:10am on Monday.
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The chief secretary further proposed that the minister’s personal secretary be suspended and penalty proceedings be undertaken against him under Central Civil Services Rules, 1965, for engaging in political activities.
Bharadwaj, in turn, accused the bureaucrat of leaking details of the report, and demanded action be taken against him.
“This raises doubts about the political neutrality of CS Naresh Kumar and strict disciplinary action should be taken against him and officers working with him for leaking the report with the media,” he said.