A resident doctor from a prestigious institution raised a sexual harassment complaint and posted the related information on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), tagging important persons including the prime minister, the Union health ministry, and the Telangana Governor and LG of Puducherry, Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, striving for a brief inquiry.

Dr. Rosha Sandesh is a junior resident at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry. She completed her residency in the Department of Pharmacology. She said that on September 29, 2023, at 2:04 am, she had received indecent mail from a mail domain named http://emkei.cz, which seems to be the mail from the ID of a faculty member from the Department of Pharmacology, JIPMER. The mail states that it is asking for sexual favors in return for academic advantages. The mail enunciates that the mailer wants her to meet him every Friday after MBBS practical class and also imperils her that if she doesn't do so, he will harass her in front of other residents. Similar mail was also received by another resident at 2:06 a.m. on the same day.

On the following day, Dr. Rosha met a female faculty member and reported the incident to the senior faculty member.  When she reached the suspected professor and asked about the incident, he gave only one single statement; I didn't send it. She raised her complaint with JIPMER's higher authorities, including the director, and also lodged her complaint with the Internal Complaints Committee for Women (ICCW). She also filed a complaint with the cyber cell of the Puducherry police.

Dr. Rosha explained her concern that she was treated as an accused after the incident, as she sent the mail to herself to falsely accuse the suspect, and the suspect was also targeting her. She submitted her resignation a few months ago.

Dr. Sujatha, chairperson of the ICCW, said that the committee has completed the inquiry on the incident and submitted its report to the director's office. The findings of the report were not revealed by the chairperson, who said they were confidential.

Dr. Rosha shared the mail-related content on the X (formerly Twitter) platform and described the situation she is going through by tagging eminent personalities for a brief inquiry. The tweet reached the Telangana Governor and Lt Governor of Puducherry, and she posted that the matter was forwarded for further inquiry and follow-up. JIPMER also posted on X that JIPMER reaffirms its commitment to ensuring a safe and conducive working environment for all of its employees and students, including women.

JIPMER also added that their complaints were also investigated by the ICCW under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2013, and action is going to be taken after the report.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Lavanya Beeraboina)