- By Imran Zafar
- Fri, 19 Jul 2024 10:16 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Jindal Steel issued a statement on Friday clarifying that Dinesh Kumar Saraogi, who has been accused of alleged harassment by a woman flyer during a flight from Calcutta to Abu Dhabi, has not been the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company since last year. The company stated that Saraogi currently serves as the CEO of Vulcan Green Steel in Oman and he does not have any relations with their firm.
"Dinesh Kumar Saraogi, who is alleged of harassing a woman on the Etihad flight, is not a Jindal Steel executive since last year. He is the CEO of Vulcan Green Steel, Oman, and does not have any direct relation with the listed company Jindal Steel and Power," the official statement read.
The clarification follows a post on X (formerly Twitter) by a woman who accused Saraogi of sexual assault during a flight from Calcutta to Abu Dhabi on July 19. The woman, founder of an NGO advocating for menstrual rights, drew the attention of Jindal Steel founder and BJP MP Naveen Jindal to the matter.
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Earlier, responding to the complaint, Naveen Jindal assured "strictest and necessary" action and directed an investigation into the incident.
"Thank you for reaching out and speaking up! It takes a lot of courage to do what you did, and I want you to know that we have a zero-tolerance policy for such matters. I have asked the team to immediately investigate the matter, and thereafter, the strictest and necessary action will be taken," Naveen Jindal stated in his response to the victim's post threads on X.
The woman shared detailed allegations in her post, stating, "Sharing an incident that happened with me on the flight from Calcutta to Abu Dhabi (transit to Boston). I am very grateful to the staff of @__Etiihad and the Abu Dhabi police for the support they provided me. TW: Sexual Assault."
"I was seated next to an industrialist (Dinesh Kr. Saraogi, CEO of Jindal Steel). He must be roughly 65 in age and told me he now lives in Oman but travels frequently. He started chatting me up—very normal conversation about our roots, family, etc. He is from Churu in Rajasthan, and both sons are married and settled in the US. The conversation moved to what my hobbies are. He asked if I enjoy watching movies, and I said of course. He then proceeds to tell me he has some movie clips on his phone. He whipped out his phone and earphones to show me porn," she added.
The woman further described the ordeal, saying, "He started groping me. I was frozen in shock and scare. I eventually ran off to the washroom and complained to the air staff. Thankfully, the Etihad team was very proactive and took action immediately. They made me sit at their seating area and served me tea and fruits. He kept calling them to ask where I had gone. The staff also informed the cops at Abu Dhabi, who were waiting as soon as the gates of the aircraft opened. I could not proceed with a complaint because I would have missed my connecting flight to Boston."
She concluded her post by expressing her intention to bring the incident to the attention of Jindal Steel founder Naveen Jindal, stating, "I am working to get this incident out to the founder of Jindal Steel @MPNaveenJindal so that he is aware of the kind of people who are in leadership. I am also afraid of how this molester must be treating his female employees from a place of power."