IAS officer shares experience with judiciary in sexual harassment case; says prepare for struggle at every step

IAS officer Riju Bafna, a trainee bureaucrat posted in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, wrote on social media about her struggles she faced while fighting sexual harassment.

The frustrated officer wrote a post on Facebook in which she said, "Idiots are lined up at every step and people are highly insensitive towards our sufferings. If you are born in this country, better prepare yourself for struggle at every step."

Bafna had filed a complaint against a member of Madhya Pradesh's human rights commission for reportedly sending her indecent messages. The member was immediately removed from his post but that did not bring a satisfying end to the story.

When Bafna went to record her testimony in court, she requested privacy to do so because there was a lawyer present in the courtroom overhearing her statement. When she expressed her discomfort, the lawyer reportedly shouted at her saying, "You might be an officer in your office but not in the court." The said individual eventually left the courtroom. 

Bafna also recounts that after she told the Judicial Magistrate about being careful with the presence of other people when a woman is giving statement for a sexual harassment case, he said that she was making such demands because she was young.

Read her full post here: