Rugby player Subhalaxmi Barik with her father at Red Cross Bhavan in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 26: A national-level rugby and football player, who works with the Odisha forest department, today accused her senior officers of mental harassment for raising her voice against irregularities at her workplace.

Subhalaxmi Barik, 24, who has been posted as a forest guard at Bhashma Hightek Nursery in Sundargarh for the past seven months, said the range officer did not allow her to join duty after she had returned from the national rugby camp held at Kalinga stadium in August.

“Though I had been granted leave after providing necessary documents, they did not allow me to join after the leave period was over. Though I met the conservator of forests in Bhubaneswar and appealed him to consider my case, he did not help me,” alleged Subhalaxmi.

“Research wing officer Baikunth Mallick, 51, used to ask me to massage his feet. As I denied, he started harassing me by writing complaint letters against me for my slightest of mistakes,” said the woman, who had represented the state and university at national level in football and rugby.

“When I came to know about the ranger allowing other people to cut down trees in the forest and sell off, I objected. The harassment increased manifold,” she added.

Subhalaxmi also alleged that when she had informed the matter to conservator L.K. Das at his Bhubaneswar office, he hit back asking her to leave the job if she could not tolerate such practices. The Indian Forest Service officer sought a report from the ranger and he allegedly gave false report against her.

“We have met forest minister Bijayshree Routray and hope he can help my daughter,” said Subhalaxmi’s father Lingaraj Barik.

Subhalaxmi said she wanted the authorities to take action against her senior officers for their irregularities and make arrangement for her posting at any other forest range office. The forest officials could not be contacted for their comments.

Routray said he was unaware of the allegations, as the woman’s father had never mentioned about it during his meeting with him. “I have asked the principal chief conservator of forest to take steps to bring the sportswoman to Bhubaneswar where she can get ample facilities for practice. Though her cadre does not allow her to be transferred to other districts, the forest officials have assured me to take adequate steps,” said Routray.