According to reports, a KSRTC employee has been dismissed from the service allegedly for raping a female colleague following which she committed suicide. The accused is identified as IP Jose, a selection grade assistant in Nedumkandam operating centre.
The decision to remove him from service was taken when he was named as accused in two other police cases. The woman raised the sexual harassment case reportedly when they were working in the Angamaly unit. Following this, the police have registered a case based on the complaint.
During the course of the investigation, the complainant tried to commit suicide by jumping into the backwater from the Vallarpadam bridge. However, later the police came to realize that she tried to commit suicide following Jose's mental torture. After this incident, the police charged a case for abetment to suicide against him. The KSRTC even recommended departmental action against Jose who was found to have serious behavioral and disciplinary issues.
When the department procedures were delayed, Jose had submitted a request to grant promotion and benefits. When KSRTC MD Biju Prabhakar conducted a probe based on the complaint, he found that two criminal cases were already filed against Jose.
Following many cases, the management has decided to initiate strict actions against those accused in a sexual harassment case. Most recently, the superintendent in the Kaniyapuram depot was suspended for sending obscene messages to his female colleague.
