The deputy chief medical officer of Deoria district in Uttar Pradesh and five others have been booked for allegedly sexually harassing a Dalit health worker and hurling casteist abuses at her, police said on Sunday.

The case was registered on the directions of a court.

They were booked under sections 354 (assault of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the police said.

In her complaint, the woman worker alleged that an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) and her husband misbehaved with her, threatened and hurled casteist abuses at her when she was on duty on May 24 last year.

Later on June 3, the deputy chief medical officer misbehaved with her and tried to outrage her modesty.

The woman health worker claimed that she had complained about the matter to the chief medical officer and other officials, but no action was initiated. She then filed a complaint at Gauribazar police station, but police also did nothing.

She then moved a court. On Saturday, Additional District and Session Judge (Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act) Chhaya Nain directed that a case be registered against the accused persons and the matter be investigated. PTI COR NAV SMN SMN

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