Central Government initiates process to dismiss CRPF DIG accused of sexual harassment

PTI

New Delhi, April 26

The Union Government has initiated the process of dismissing a DIG-rank former chief sports officer of the CRPF on charges of sexual harassment levelled against him by some women working in the paramilitary force, official sources said Friday.

A notice for dismissal has been issued against Deputy Inspector General Khajan Singh after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) accepted the recommendation of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), they said.

The final orders will be issued after taking into consideration the reply received from the accused officer within 15 days, the sources said.

Khajan Singh did not respond to PTI’s query on the matter.

The notice for dismissal against the officer, currently posted in Mumbai, was issued recently after a probe conducted by the CRPF found him “guilty” on sexual harassment charges.

The CRPF headquarters accepted the probe report prepared by the internal committee and forwarded it to the UPSC and the MHA for taking appropriate disciplinary action. The UPSC and the MHA have hence issued orders for Khajan Singh’s dismissal, the sources said.

The officer is facing at least two such charges and the notice for dismissal has been issued in one case. The other case too is in progress, the sources said.

Khajan Singh served as the chief sports officer of the Central Reserve Police Force, the country’s largest paramilitary force. He won a silver medal at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games in the 200m butterfly event which was India’s first medal in swimming at the event since 1951.

He had earlier denied the allegations and said that the allegations of sexual harassment were “absolutely false” and made to “spoil his image”.

The CRPF, which has about 3.25 lakh personnel, first inducted women in combat ranks in 1986. It has six all-female battalions at present with an overall strength of about 8,000 personnel in them.

It also has women personnel in sports and other administrative wings.

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