Thiruvananthapuram: A group of women excise department officials in Kerala have complained to top officials that they are facing harassment at the workplace, including sexual misconduct.
Stating that they are being “treated like worms”, they have sent a complaint against some of their male colleagues, to the state excise minister, human rights commission, excise commissioner and the state women’s commission.
The excise commissioner has sought a report on the matter, and directed all deputy excise commissioners to send a report within three days.
The state human rights commission has also intervened in the matter, asking for a report from deputy excise commissioners and the additional excise commissioner for enforcement.
The complaint from women excise officials comes at a time when State Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh has warned of the need to be alert against the drug mafia, which is trying to target vulnerable student groups and inter-state labourers to further their trade in the state.
The women officials have said their complaints have often been ignored, and treated as though they were fake complaints.
In their complaint they said that in some excise ranges, women officials are asked to report for work at night on the pretext of conducting raids at late hours, and are then provided no facilities to get back home in the night.
