Panaji, April 23 (TOI): The Goa state commission for women has stepped in to investigate the complaint of sexual harassment filed by a lady staff of the electricity department against her immediate superior, an assistant engineer with the department.

Sources in the women's commission confirmed that the commission has received the lady's complaint and that the commission will soon summon the assistant engineer for inquiry.

Power minister Milind Naik said that the electricity department has set up a committee according to the Vishaka guidelines and that this committee is now looking into the complaint. The truth will be known once the committee comes out with its report, he said.

In her complaint to the chief electrical engineer, the lady stated that the assistant engineer "has been making sexual advances towards me and sexually harassing me". She also said that "he has been making physical contacts by touching me, demands sexual favours and passing sexually coloured remarks against me."

Fearing that the engineer will outrage her modesty, spoil her name and harm her husband, the lady has asked the chief engineer to set up an inquiry committee and to take action against her boss.

The married lady is aged around 35. The engineer is 60 and due to retire next month (May).

Speaking to TOI, the lady said that the engineer first started sexually harassing her in February this year. He started touching her inappropriately, took her pictures on his mobile and mouthed endearments like "I love you," "I want to kiss you" and "I want to marry you".

Despite her several warnings, he continued pestering her and the only reason she did not tell her husband is because her husband would beat up the engineer and beating up government servants can have severe legal consequences, she said.

She recalled that from April 10, her boss' behaviour changed completely. He befriended her husband and started coming to her place. On one occasion, he molested her. With the harassment persisting, she was forced to file a complaint. The lady said she has recordings of all his telephone conversations and lewd SMSs on her phone to prove his guilt.

She also alleged that previously, the engineer had misbehaved with other female staff of the department, a claim corroborated by sources in the electricity department. Sources said that the engineer was slapped by two separate ladies for his misbehaviour.

When contacted, the assistant engineer denied all charges against him. He said he has not received a copy of the complaint and therefore does not know what the charges against him are. He said his cabin is open and that many consumers come there. "If I had touched her, she could have shouted and told the other staff," he said.

The engineer also claimed that he has been suffering from a urinary problem for about a month and receiving treatment for the same. He said he could not have been making such advances in his condition and wondered if the lady was accusing him to extort money from him.