Guwahati: A court in Assam’s Nalbari district has rejected a police report that cleared senior IAS officer Varnali Deka accused of mentally harassing a female ACS officer.
The Nalbari chief judicial magistrate (CJM)’s court has instead ordered a further investigation into the allegations.
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Arpana Sarmah, the then circle officer of Paschim Nalbari revenue circle, had filed a complaint against Nalbari District Commissioner (DC) Varnali Deka, alleging “mental harassment, public humiliation and threats” during Lok Sabha election duty in May last year.
Initially, Nalbari police refused to register the FIR. It was only registered in November last year, following a court order.
Subsequently, the police submitted a final report stating “insufficient evidence” against Deka.
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However, the CJM’s court, in its order order issued on February 27, dismissed the police’s final report because of various ‘lapses on the part of the investigating officer’ .
The court found that the investigating officer had failed to gather sufficient initial evidence.
The investigating officer’s failure to gather sufficient initial evidence, including submitting a seizure report for the CCTV footage, was noted by the court.
The court directed the Nalbari Superintendent of Police (SP) to nominate a senior police officer to conduct a fresh, thorough investigation into Sarmah’s allegations.
“I deem it fit and proper to issue a direction to further investigate, into the allegations made by the complainant in her FIR, through a senior police officer to be nominated by the superintendent of police, Nalbari,” the order read.
Aparna Sarmna had filed a complaint against DC Varnali Deka at Nalbari Sadar police station on May 8, 2024.
Sarma in the comlaint alleged that she endured severe mental distress since January 24, 2024, following an incident related to the procurement of gamosa for freedom fighters.
Sarma also alleged that DC Deka has been continuously scrutinizing her with malicious intent, seeking to assign blame on the flimsiest of grounds.
On May 7, 2024, DC Deka purportedly humiliated Sarma in the presence of other officers, using derogatory language while she was performing poll duty in Nalbari town.
Arpana Sarmah was suspended days after she filed the complaint against DC Varnali Deka.
It is not the first time DC Deka has faced controversy. In January 2023, she was accused of assaulting Deepak Das, a fourth-grade employee at the Kokrajhar District Commissioner’s office.
The alleged assault involved slapping Das and throwing his lunch box, reportedly because it lacked a carry bag.
This incident, alongside other allegations, has brought Deka, a 45-year-old IAS officer from the 2009 Assam-Meghalaya cadre, under scrutiny for her treatment of staff.