Suspended Ayush director given compulsory retirement in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Thursday ordered compulsory retirement for suspended Ayush director Bibhu Prasad Sarangi for his alleged immoral act and doubtful integrity. Mahila police here on July 9 arrested Sarangi, an Odisha administrative service (OAS) officer in the rank of special secretary, on the charges of sexually harassing a female colleague.
Sources said Sarangi was about to retire from the service in January 2021. “The chief minister Naveen Patnaik has always been emphasizing on high degree of morality and integrity in public service. Sarangi was suspended from government service in view of the gravity of the case and evidence against him. The conduct of Sarangi towards the subordinate woman employee is an act of personal immorality and violation of conduct of service rules,” read a government statement.
The government said it applied its zero tolerance policy against such immoral and inefficient officers, and ordered immediate “compulsory retirement” of Sarangi from the government service.
Last September, the state government introduced compulsory retirement policy to kick out inefficient and corrupt employees to maintain transparency in governance. A number of officers from different departments have been sacked in the last one year.
Sarangi landed in trouble after the 25-year-old woman, a contractual staff member in his office, accused him of sexual harassment last month. Mahila police booked Sarangi under sections 354-D (stalking), 294 (obscene act), 506 (criminal intimidation), 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication) and 509 (word or gesture intended to insult woman) of IPC and other relevant sections of the information technology Act. Following his arrest on July 9, Sarangi remained in judicial custody at Jharpada special jail for three days before he was granted bail by court of additional district and sessions judge (IV) on July 13.
Sarangi, who was unavailable for comment on Thursday, already rubbished the allegations against him. “Her charges are false and fabricated. She along with another contractual employee of his office hatched a conspiracy against him as he had contemplated to disengage the duo from the service,” Sarangi earlier told the media.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)