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DD’s sexual harassment victims seek justice
New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) Victims of sexual harassment at the hands of Doordarshan (DD) officials made a plea for justice here on Friday, saying despite several complaints, the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) has failed to indict its own men, and that approaching the police and court has resulted in nothing.
Representing the women victims, two of whom are still employed with the DD, Vandana Bhandari, a Supreme Court lawyer, said there are at least 10 cases of sexual harassment which have been reported in the last three years from various DD offices across the country, six of which are from Delhi alone.
“The problem is Prasar Bharati is that some of the accused are placed at very high positions and when their names were called out, the victims were further harassed through arbitrary transfer, or, silenced by senior colleagues from within,” Bhandari told reporters.
One of the victims present at the press conference (who requested anonymity), said she has not been getting her salary for the last eight months since she approached the ICC for action against a senior colleague, Shrikant Saxena, of sexually harassing her.
The 36-year-old sole earner in her family said she didn’t get justice from the ICC. On the contrary, she said she was immediately transferred to other department, where she is not being allowed to join.
Saxena has been named in two other cases of similar nature, Bhandari said.
A police complaint against the accused was also filed at Hauz Khas Police Station in June this year, to no avail.
“The police didn’t do anything since it didn’t get anything from the ICC. There’s a serious conflict of interest in the constitution of ICC at DD, where the ICC chairperson Niru Sharma, herself is a long-time employee of the entity,” Bhandari said.
Another vicitim, who worked at DD office in Bhopal, said she is afraid that even lesser number of women will come out with their stories now, after what happened in her case.
“I was given justice by the ICC. But it’s ruling was never implemented. After working for 10 years (2005-2015) I was forced to quit… Now they (accused) will make an example of me, saying ‘what happen with Aparna, will happen to you too if you complain’,” she said, adding, she had written to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the National Commission for Women too, but nothing came out of it.
Bhandari said when she last approached the DD’s ICC, they said they had no complaints pending with them.
She said one of the victims is an employee of DD’s Jaipur office, “who brought an international film award for DD at one of the film festivals”.
Among the victims are production assistants, reporters, anchors, and others she said.
DD is the broadcasting division of Prasar Bharati, an autonomous statutory body, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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