The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Hyderabad on Wednesday, 19 June, reinstated the 56 female housekeeping workers who were fired over their allegations of sexual harassment against a regular employee at the institute. News agency IANS reported that NIFT received criticism which allegedly led them to withdraw their earlier decision to terminate the services of the housekeeping workers.
After NIFT received flack for sacking the workers for protesting the alleged sexual harassment, they restored their contract with the manpower agency responsible for the workers, who were asked to resume work from Thursday, 20 June.
However, the contract ends after June and the management has reportedly asked the manpower agency to recruit new employees in place of the existing ones, the news agency further reported.
One of the women at the forefront of the protest alleged the management was trying to silence them by driving them out. She said they will protest till D Srinivas Reddy is punished.
D Srinivas Reddy allegedly sexually harassed four female workers, one of whom had reportedly filed a complaint with the committee which deals with the matter in July 2018. She had also lodged a complaint with the police in October. The police had registered the case but took no action as it is suspected that a few women made false allegations after being pulled up for their poor performance.
According to a report by The News Minute published on Tuesday, 18 June, the accused D Srinivas Reddy, continues to work at the campus.
Some housekeeping workers staged a protest on Monday, 17 June, at Madhapur police station after the internal committee’s report was not publicly disclosed and the police remained inactive.
On the same day, NIFT terminated terminated the services of all outsourced workers by ending the contract with their agency.
‘He Would Invite Women Staff Home to Sleep With Him’
Describing the nature of the alleged misconduct, Ratna Kumari, the supervisor of the housekeeping staff, told The News Minute, “Srinivas used to sexually harass women employees who would attend to his cabin. He would hold the women staff by their hips, click their photographs without consent, and invite them home to sleep with him.”
“He became so open about his acts that he would directly come to me and ask me to send young and pretty women to his cabin. When I told him that none of the women wanted to work with him, he said that I have a good figure and asked me to sleep with him,” she added.
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