Bengal INTUC protests appointment of tainted official

Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), West Bengal branch in a letter to law and justice minister Sadananda Gowda on Wednesday raised the issue of “suppression of facts with ulterior motive of Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) for the appointment of MK Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, Bridge & Roof Co. India Ltd”.

In the letter, INTUC General Secretary Qamruzzaman Qamar mentioned that Gita Rawat, a consultant in the ministry had unexpressed several court orders which held MK Singh to be guilty. Order dated August 11, 2014 of the Supreme Court had “dismissed the special leave of appeal filed by MK Singh against Linda Eastwood arising out of impugned final judgment passed by High Court of Calcutta, on June 18, 2014,” said the letter.

Qamar mentioned that, “Singh was found guilty by the internal complaint committee for sexual harassment case at workplace at Bridge & Roof Co. India Ltd,” adding that the minister should immediately conduct an enquiry into the matter and “initiate disciplinary actions the guilty officers( in his ministry) for this type of unprecedented suppression of facts and conspiracy.”

“The committee hereby orders that the accused MK Singh is guilty of committing sexual harassment against Linda Eastwood and should be punished under the provisions of the law,” Qamar quoted the committee’s observation report in the case. The report dated August 29 last year is pending with the disciplinary authority that is the president Pranab Mukherjee.

Last month, Qamar in a letter to the prime minister Narendra Modi had also brought up the issue of “conspiracy of the DHI in the appointment of Singh, as a functional director of Bridge & Roof Co. India Ltd.” In the letter to Modi, Qamar also mentioned about the “suppression of facts by DHI” regarding Singh while forwarding his name for the post of CMD, Bridge & Roof Co. India Ltd., to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) and also Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).