Pune Municipal Corporation has barred a former deputy mayor from entering its premises after a woman employee filed a complaint alleging misconduct during working hours. The complaint has been submitted to the civic body’s Vishakha Committee, which handles workplace sexual-harassment complaints, while the access restriction has been imposed to protect the complainant and preserve evidence, according to municipal officials quoted by Sakal.
The incident allegedly occurred on Thursday afternoon in the municipal secretary department. Most employees and officers from the department were attending a Standing Committee meeting at the time, while others were away during the lunch break, the report said. The woman employee was working in the department when the former corporator, who had previously served as deputy mayor, allegedly approached her, held her hand and spoke to her in allegedly abusive language.
According to the report, the woman freed herself and informed senior officials about the incident. The account has been presented as an allegation in the complaint; the identity of the former deputy mayor was not disclosed in the supplied report, and no response from the person accused was included.
Advocate Nisha Chavan, chairperson of the municipal corporation’s Vishakha Committee, said the committee had received the woman’s complaint and would take appropriate action. The committee’s role is to examine the complaint through the prescribed workplace process and determine the next steps based on the material placed before it.
Municipal security officer Rakesh Vitkar said the former deputy mayor had been barred from entering the civic premises until further orders. He said the measure was intended to ensure that the complainant was not subjected to pressure and that evidence was not tampered with after the reported incident.
The access restriction separates the immediate security and administrative response from the committee’s inquiry. The supplied report does not specify the date of the next committee hearing, the detailed allegations recorded in the complaint, or any final finding against the former deputy mayor. Further action will depend on the proceedings of the Vishakha Committee and the municipal administration’s subsequent orders.
