CEO Placed on Administrative Leave Amid In-Flight Sexual Harassment Allegations; Police File FIR
CEO Placed on Administrative Leave Amid In-Flight Sexual Harassment Allegations; Police File FIR
Dinesh Saraogi, the 65-year-old CEO of Oman-based Vulcan Green Steel, has been accused of sexual harassment by a woman during a flight from Kolkata to Abu Dhabi. The woman alleges that Saraogi showed her explicit movie clips on his phone and groped her.
In a detailed post on social media platform X, the woman recounted how Saraogi initiated a conversation about their backgrounds, hobbies, and families before showing her adult content on his phone. “He took out his phone and earphones to show me porn! He then started groping me.
I was in shock and scared. I eventually ran to the washroom and complained to the air staff,” she wrote. The woman, identified as the co-chair of the India Conference at Harvard on her profile, praised the quick response of the Etihad Airways crew, who moved her to their seating area and provided her with tea and fruits.
Despite the crew’s intervention, Saraogi allegedly continued to ask the airline staff about her location. Following a complaint filed by the woman’s parents, the Bidhannagar City Police in Kolkata registered a case against Saraogi under Sections 74 (assault or use of criminal force with intent to outrage modesty), 75 (sexual harassment), and 79 (uttering words or making gestures to insult a woman’s modesty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
“We will record the woman’s statement via video call since she is currently in the US, and we will proceed with the investigation,” stated a senior officer from the Bidhannagar City Police. Kolkata Airport falls under the jurisdiction of the Bidhannagar Police.
The woman also tagged BJP MP Naveen Jindal, Chairman of Jindal Steel and Power, seeking action against Saraogi, whom she mistakenly identified as a top executive of Jindal’s company. Jindal responded, commending her bravery and emphasizing the company’s zero-tolerance policy towards such behavior. “I have asked the team to immediately investigate the matter and take the strictest necessary action,” Jindal stated.
Later, Jindal Steel clarified that Saraogi has not been associated with the company since last year.
