Minister’s remark sparks row

Tribune News Service 

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Dehradun, December 26 

Uttarakhand Minister for Education Arvind Pandey has once again landed himself in trouble for his alleged statement on the alleged harassment of women sportspersons at the hands of sports bodies while giving an interview to a television channel. 

Known for his outspokenness, the minister has made many a statement in the past, eliciting mirth at his expense, but the latest statement cannot be brushed off easily. Though, Chief Minister TS Rawat tried to quell the controversy by saying that the government will take appropriate action in case the women come forward with their complaints. “We will not desist from taking action against persons in case the women come up with their complaints,” he said. 

While allegations of alleged sexual harassment by the officials heading the sporting, bodies had surfaced in the past, regarding alleged harassment of volleyball women players by the sporting authorities. 

The matter also came before the State Commission for Women, though efforts were made to allow the matter to die down. However, none of these complaints reached a conclusive end. 

Now with the minister himself raising the issue, expectations have risen that some kind of action would be forthcoming. 

“Chief Minister TS Rawat should immediately take action based on the evidence that the minister is claiming to have. A minister making allegations of rape and having proof of the same should be taken seriously,” said Mathura Dutt Joshi, senior Congress leader.

Despite the seriousness of the issue, the minister is known for making irresponsible statements and he had become a butt of jokes when during a routine inspection the minister had frame a wrong question while testing the proficiency of the science teacher.