NCW forms inquiry committee to investigate workplace violence

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has decided to set up an inquiry committee to investigate a recent case of workplace violence, following the tragic death of a woman employed at a BPO company in Pune, who was hacked to death by his colleague during a money dispute.

According to an official statement, “The NCW has taken suo-moto cognizance of a number of disturbing incidents, including a recent case in Pune, where a woman working in a BPO company was tragically hacked to death by her colleague over a dispute. “The crime took place in the company’s parking lot and, despite the presence of several onlookers, no one intervened to stop the attack, which highlights the growing phenomenon of the bystander effect,” the statement added.

Responding to the incident, National Commission for Women Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar decided to constitute an inquiry committee to thoroughly investigate the matter and recommend necessary measures to prevent recurrence of such crimes.

According to the statement, the inquiry committee will include Meenakshi Negi, member secretary of the NCW; Dr BK Sinha, former Director General of Haryana Police; and R Sreelekha, former Director General of Kerala Police.

Manmohan Verma, Legal Officer, National Commission for Women, will assist the Committee.

The Committee’s mandate includes examining the case through the procedure set out in section 10(1) read with section 10(4) of the National Commission for Women Act, 1990. It will also assess the overall safety of women working in IT companies, BPO, call centers, ITES and other technology companies across the country.

The committee will investigate any breaches or lapses that led to this incident and recommend measures for companies to ensure the safety of their employees.

According to the statement, the committee will consider measures to address bystander apathy and sensitize them to extend help to the victims of such a brutal crime and recommend remedial measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents after interaction with all . the competent authorities who deem it appropriate.

The committee will meet at such time and place as deemed appropriate and necessary and examine institutional linkages between private companies and law enforcement agencies to enable a faster response system.

The committee will also consider establishing a process for regularly monitoring female employees’ safety concerns and will present its findings and recommendations within 10 business days.

Earlier on Friday, the NCW condemned the murder of a 28-year-old woman in Pune and directed authorities to ensure a fair and time-bound investigation.

The incident took place on Tuesday when the woman was attacked with a knife by her colleague, allegedly because she had borrowed money from him under false pretenses.

“The National Commission for Women strongly condemns the brutal murder of a 28-year-old woman in Pune, allegedly attacked with a knife by her colleague in a company parking lot, while bystanders did not intervene,” NCW said in a post on X ( formerly Twitter).

The NCW requested a detailed report of the measures taken from the authorities along with a copy of the FIR within two days.