Charge sheet to be filed against UNFPA India head in sexual harassment case

Patna: Over a year after women rights campaigner Prashanti Tiwari filed an FIR against UNFPA India chief Diego Palacios for sexually harassing her, Bihar Police’s CID has ordered the investigating officer to file a charge sheet against him, police sources said on Monday.

In the FIR filed in February last year, Prashanti had also accused the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) country head for India and Ena Singh of assault with intention to outrage her modesty and criminal intimidation.

She had alleged that Palacios sexually harassed and abused her on many occasions during his visit to Bihar in March 2017, and thereafter retaliated against her by closing her programme ‘Bandhan Tod’, which was working against child marriage.

A district police officer associated with the matter told IANS that police found there was a prima facie case against Palacios.

“A charge sheet will be filed in the court soon,” the police officer, who did not want to be named, said.

According to sources in state police headquarters here, several problems were faced in the investigation due to the accused’s diplomatic immunity. The case was transferred to the CID, which approached the Ministry of External Affairs to interview the accused and key witnesses and to obtain various documents. (IANS)

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