Nagpur, December 5: Superintendent of Police PR Patil, heading the Nagpur-branch of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), was booked by police on sexual molestation charge. The complaint against Patil was made by his 28-year-old subordinate. The charge was filed by Nagpur police following the sanction issued by ACB’s state in-charge director general of police Sanjay Barve.

The action against Patil could impact the ongoing probe into the multi-crore Maharashtra Irrigation scam. The tainted SP was heading the special investigation team probing the scandal allegedly carried out under the erstwhile Congress-NCP government. #MeToo in India: 9 Out of 10 Complaints of Sexual Harassment Are True, Why it’s Difficult to Frame False Cases.

According to Nagpur’s joint commissioner of police Ravindra Kadam, the complaint was registered against Patil based on the accusations made by the victim before the ACB's Vishakha panel.

The 28-year-old had told the Vishakha panel that Patil sexually harassed her since August 2017, when he was appointed as the head of Nagpur ACB. The alleged harassment continued till October 12 this year, which forced her to register a formal complaint.

Narrating her ordeal, the victim claimed she used to receive lewd messages from the SP on social media, apart from being threatened with transfers and "dire consequences" if she does not grant him sexual favours. Patil is also accused of defaming the victim by spreading among her colleagues that she is in a "relationship" with a policeman.

Based on the woman's deposition, the Vishakha committee constituted a preliminary inquiry, supervised by a woman police officer from Mumbai. The panel found Patil guilty, and asked the Nagpur police to register a case.

Nagpur Commissioner of Police, Dr Bhushan Upadhyaya, told reporters that the case against Patil would be probed by under the supervision of zonal deputy commissioner of police Chinmay Pandit.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 05, 2018 04:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).