NEW DELHI: Two All India Radio employees who had been re-employed after retirement have been asked to leave while a third person has been suspended and a show-cause notice is issued to the Delhi Kendra station director following allegations by radio jockeys of sexual and workplace harassment.
A complaint had been made in March by more than 25 presenters for being discriminated against work allocation and salaries, and also alleged that they had been subjected to sexual innuendos and advances for the last two years.
The RJs under the aegis of the AIR Broadcasting Professionals Association (AIRBPA) had complained to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the Delhi Commission for Women prompting an internal inquiry by Prasar Bharati and a ministerial probe to look into allegations of workplace harassment.
A PIL was also been filed in the Delhi High Court and is expected to come up for hearing next month.
According to the order issued earlier this week with the approval of Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar, duty officers N K Verma and Shelly have been removed from their duties with immediate effect and banned from further employment in the pubcaster.
Programme Executive Danish Iqbal, who played a supervisory role in the administration and assignments of FM Gold, has been suspended pending investigation. Delhi Kendra Director L S Bajpai was been asked to explain why he took no action even after being explained about these cases.
Justifying the action, Sircar said this was in the interest of a fair and transparent inquiry. He also stressed that a public service broadcaster has to be exemplary in its conduct.
The order issued by Prasar Bharati member (Personnel) Brig (retd) V A M Hussain said the case was “sensitive and had given a poor image of the public service broadcaster”.
The order also said that there appeared to “faulty” systems in place with “loose control” over the engagement and supervision of the work of presenters.