Introduction:
Sexual harassment is not confined to the four walls of an office building; it can occur anywhere, anytime and in any context. A recent incident highlights this unsettling reality, where a woman accused a senior executive of a prominent steel company of sexual harassment during a flight from Kolkata to Abu Dhabi.
The woman shared her distressing experience on the social media platform X, alleging how the 65-year-old executive, initiated an inappropriate conversation before showing her pornographic clips and groping her. In a detailed post on X, the woman recounted the disturbing encounter that left her shocked and scared.1
Recounting her ordeal, the woman said that the interaction began with a seemingly "normal conversation" about their backgrounds, hobbies, and families. However, the situation took a dark turn when the accused allegedly showed her pornographic content on his phone and proceeded to grope her. Overcome with shock and fear, the woman somehow managed to escape to the washroom and reported the incident to the airline staff. She praised the swift and supportive response of the flight crew, who provided her with a safe space and immediate assistance.
Despite the distressing incident, the woman's ordeal was not over, as the executive continued to call the staff inquiring about her whereabouts.
Member of Parliament reacts to post:
Upon landing in Abu Dhabi, the airline staff informed the policy, who took immediate action by detaining the accused. Unfortunately, the woman was unable to file a formal complaint as she had a connecting flight to Boston.
However, in an effort to seek justice and highlight the issue, she managed to bring the incident to the attention of a high-ranking politician and the chairperson of the steel company involved by tagging them in her social media post, expressing her concerns about how the accused might be treating female employees within the company.
A high ranking politician and the chairperson of the steel company involved promptly responded to the post within 24 hours, emphasizing the company&
Introduction:
Sexual harassment is not confined to the four walls of an office building; it can occur anywhere, anytime and in any context. A recent incident highlights this unsettling reality, where a woman accused a senior executive of a prominent steel company of sexual harassment during a flight from Kolkata to Abu Dhabi.
The woman shared her distressing experience on the social media platform X, alleging how the 65-year-old executive, initiated an inappropriate conversation before showing her pornographic clips and groping her. In a detailed post on X, the woman recounted the disturbing encounter that left her shocked and scared.1
Recounting her ordeal, the woman said that the interaction began with a seemingly "normal conversation" about their backgrounds, hobbies, and families. However, the situation took a dark turn when the accused allegedly showed her pornographic content on his phone and proceeded to grope her. Overcome with shock and fear, the woman somehow managed to escape to the washroom and reported the incident to the airline staff. She praised the swift and supportive response of the flight crew, who provided her with a safe space and immediate assistance.
Despite the distressing incident, the woman's ordeal was not over, as the executive continued to call the staff inquiring about her whereabouts.
Member of Parliament reacts to post:
Upon landing in Abu Dhabi, the airline staff informed the policy, who took immediate action by detaining the accused. Unfortunately, the woman was unable to file a formal complaint as she had a connecting flight to Boston.
However, in an effort to seek justice and highlight the issue, she managed to bring the incident to the attention of a high-ranking politician and the chairperson of the steel company involved by tagging them in her social media post, expressing her concerns about how the accused might be treating female employees within the company.
A high ranking politician and the chairperson of the steel company involved promptly responded to the post within 24 hours, emphasizing the company's zero-tolerance policy towards such behavior and assuring her of strict and stringent action against the accused.
"Thank you for reaching out and speaking up. It takes a lot of courage to do what you did, and I want you to know that we have a zero-tolerance policy for such matters. I have asked the team to immediately investigate the matter and thereafter the strictest and necessary action will be take," the chairperson tweeted. 2
Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, the company placed the accused on administrative leave over flight sexual assault allegations. To ensure impartiality and thoroughness, an independent third party has been appointed to lead the investigation, a statement issued on July 20, 2024 by the steel company reports.3
Conclusion:
This incident is not an isolated case. Recently, another high-ranking executive of a well-known technology and fashion e-commerce startup faced explosive allegations from a co-founder4, highlighting that sexual harassment can occur in any setting and involve individuals from any strata of the society, whether as victims or perpetrators. It also highlights the importance of prompt and decisive action from organisations and authorities to support victims and ensure accountability for perpetrators.
Footnotes
4 https://ssrana.in/posh-law/articles/ex-ceo-files-fir-against-co-founder-and-ex-coo/
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