NEW DELHI: In yet another case of an alleged sexual assault, a lady flying Etihad from Kolkata to Abu Dhabi on her way to the US has accused a co-passenger of “showing porn” to her and “groping” her. The accused, a long time employee of Naveen Jindal’s Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) and is currently setting up a green steel plant in Oman for the group, is learnt to have been detained on arrival in Abu Dhabi and then released, say sources. Naveen Jindal has assured the complainant that the company will “immediately investigate the matter and thereafter strictest and necessary action will be taken.”
Ananya Chhaochharia, co-chair of India Conference at Harvard, took to X (former Twitter) to recount her harrowing experience. “Sharing an incident that happened with me (on a) flight from Calcutta to Abu Dhabi (transit to Boston). I am very grateful to the staff of Etihad and the Abu Dhabi police for the support they provided me. 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 (his) sons are married and settled in the US etc,” she said from her X handle @ananyac05.
“The conversation moved to what my hobbies are. He asked if I enjoy watching movies and I was like of course. He then proceeds to tell me he has some movie clips on his phone. He whips out his phone and earphones to show me PORN! He started groping me. I was frozen in shock and scare,” she said.
Chhaochharia “eventually ran off to the washroom and complained to the (airline) staff. Thankfully the Etihad team was very pro-active 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 the gates of the aircraft opened.”
“I could not proceed with a complaint because I would have missed my connecting flight to Boston. I was escorted to the next gate to ensure he does not come near me. He also did not deny this when the cops asked him questions. I am sharing this because I want to remind everyone that something like this can happen to anyone,” she said.
She reached out to Naveen Jindal on X “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.”
Responding to her, Naveen Jindal said on X: “Dear Ananya, 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 strictest and necessary action will be taken.”
Chhaochharia said she is “fine, a little rattled and disturbed. I feel violated but I also want to make sure this never happens to another woman.”
Sources say the 60 plus accused has been an employee of Jindal Steel for over three decades. He was an executive director in the company’s Angul plant till about a year back when he was transferred to another firm of Naveen Jindal that is setting up a green steel plant in Oman. Saraogi is currently CEO of Vulcan Green Steel.“If found guilt, strict action, including sacking, will be taken against him,” say sources.
Ananya Chhaochharia, co-chair of India Conference at Harvard, took to X (former Twitter) to recount her harrowing experience. “Sharing an incident that happened with me (on a) flight from Calcutta to Abu Dhabi (transit to Boston). I am very grateful to the staff of Etihad and the Abu Dhabi police for the support they provided me. 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 (his) sons are married and settled in the US etc,” she said from her X handle @ananyac05.
“The conversation moved to what my hobbies are. He asked if I enjoy watching movies and I was like of course. He then proceeds to tell me he has some movie clips on his phone. He whips out his phone and earphones to show me PORN! He started groping me. I was frozen in shock and scare,” she said.
Chhaochharia “eventually ran off to the washroom and complained to the (airline) staff. Thankfully the Etihad team was very pro-active 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 the gates of the aircraft opened.”
“I could not proceed with a complaint because I would have missed my connecting flight to Boston. I was escorted to the next gate to ensure he does not come near me. He also did not deny this when the cops asked him questions. I am sharing this because I want to remind everyone that something like this can happen to anyone,” she said.
She reached out to Naveen Jindal on X “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.”
Responding to her, Naveen Jindal said on X: “Dear Ananya, 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 strictest and necessary action will be taken.”
Chhaochharia said she is “fine, a little rattled and disturbed. I feel violated but I also want to make sure this never happens to another woman.”
Sources say the 60 plus accused has been an employee of Jindal Steel for over three decades. He was an executive director in the company’s Angul plant till about a year back when he was transferred to another firm of Naveen Jindal that is setting up a green steel plant in Oman. Saraogi is currently CEO of Vulcan Green Steel.“If found guilt, strict action, including sacking, will be taken against him,” say sources.