ISLAMABAD: A three-member committee has been constituted to probe anonymous allegations of harassment, including sexual harassment, levelled at police officials.

A letter containing the allegations, addressed to the inspector general of Islamabad police, was delivered to his office last month, police said. The letter alleged that senior and junior police officers offer to dispose of departmental inquiries or other matters against women officials in exchange for sexual favours.

The police had made an announcement on police communications later, asking officers to produce evidence against the officials who are involved in harassment and three police officials - including a constable, a head constable and an assistant sub inspector - were suspended after they were identified by women police officers.

Further investigations into the allegations are ongoing but other suspects or the victims have not been identified thus far.

The team was constituted after an investigation by an assistant inspector general of police and an assistant superintendent of police under training failed to yield an outcome.

The new committee will consist of a deputy inspector general of police and two women superintendents of police, assisted by two women psychologists. It will meet with all women working in the police force to inquire into the matter.

Policewomen have been invited to three separate general meetings, and the two aforementioned officials who were looking into the matter met with policewomen separately as well.

A police officer told Dawn that some senior officers were attempting to hush up the matter by declaring the letter to be an attempt to avenge some officers and officials.

He said they were of the view that some men in the force had sent the letter on behalf of anonymous women for attention and action, to avenge officers who had transferred them to other places or wings.

There are a total of 289 women officials in the police, of which 87 work in the operations division, 62 in the security division, 20 in the traffic division and 11 in the Special Branch. The new Counter Terrorism Force also has 47 women officials.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2018