28-Year-Old Pharma MD Accused of Molesting Senior Employee, FIR Registered
Mohali: A case has been registered against the Managing Director of Vatave Healthcare, a Mohali-based pharmaceutical company, on allegations of molestation and sexual harassment of a female employee.
The complaint, which originated in Haryana, was later transferred to Punjab authorities for further action. The case has been filed under Sections 74 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 75(2) (sexual harassment) of the BNS.
According to a recent media report in the Hindustan Times, the 46-year-old complainant alleged that during her tenure at the company, Upinder (28) behaved inappropriately and repeatedly pressured her to hug him. Feeling harassed, she initially filed her complaint in Haryana, after which a zero FIR was transferred to the Zirakpur police station in Mohali, where the case was officially registered.
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Denying the allegations, Upinder stated that he was out of the country on a 25-day trip to Vietnam when the accusations surfaced. He claimed, "We had recently hired her as an HR executive for Rs 15,000, but she mostly remained absent or left early from work. After we asked her to quit, she wrongly accused me." He further emphasized that Vatave Healthcare employs around 350 people, including more than 100 women, and asserted that no previous complaints had ever been made against him.
HT reports that Upinder has not been arrested yet, and the investigation into the allegations is ongoing.
