Bhopal: NIFT director Shubroto Biswas booked for harassment

BHOPAL: Chunabhatti police have booked director of the prestigious National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Shubroto Biswas, for allegedly harassing a woman staffer of the institute.

City superintendent of police (CSP) Virendra Mishra said that an FIR against the accused has been registered under Sections 354 A and 509 of the IPC.

The 37-year-old woman had taken up the harassment issue before the institute internal committee, however, no action was taken against the director. The woman on June 24, approached police and lodged a complaint against the institute director.

Around six months ago, the woman had written to the†institute's top officials†alleging the harassment she was subjected to. Then an internal complaint committee (ICC) had questioned the director, however, no action was taken against him. While the accused director continues to remain on post, the complainant women staffer was ëdemotedí and mocked at.† The woman told Free Press that in January she found out that the salary she received was that of a lower rank official.

The complainant alleged that the Biswas forced her to stay in a vacant girlís hostel where he was staying in December, 2020. The woman refused saying that she would not be comfortable staying there alone. This allegedly irked the director and he started ëmounting pressureí on her to stay at the hostel. The woman said that when the director in April again asked her to stay at the guest house, she decided to confide in her husband about the matter, which till then she had not disclosed.

Her husband then asked her to lodge a police complaint, however, as the Corona cases were surging then and for some personal reasons too, the couple decided to approach police later. On June 24, the woman lodged a complaint with the Chunabhatti police. A case was registered on Thursday.