Sebi employees protest at HQ; demand Buch resignation
Mumbai, Sep 5: A large number of Sebi employees protested outside the capital markets regulator's headquarters on Thursday, seeking chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch's resignation.
The staffers, numbering over 200 as per an estimate, held a silent protest outside the main building in the Bandra Kurla Complex, housing Buch and other officials' offices.
None of the protesting employees spoke to the media, but a handout purported to have been drafted by the protesting officials sought the withdrawal of a press release issued by Sebi on Wednesday and also Buch's resignation.
The protesting employees assembled in front of the building and were seen standing there for about 90 minutes before dispersing.
For Puri, protests and internal issues have come at a time when she is probably facing the most challenging times in her stint. The career banker-turned-regulator is battling speculations on whether a conflict of interest made her go slow on the probe against Adani Group and a raft of other allegations around it.
This is not the first instance of a protest at the Sebi, which witnessed a similar protest over a month ago by some employees. At that time, officials had said that the protests were by a few elements and do not have the backing of the recognised unions or associations.
In what is unprecedented for any financial regulator, around 500 employees are reported to have written to the Finance Ministry on August 6 against the top management for what they called a "toxic" work environment, which includes instances of public humiliation and shouting down.
After the publishing of a media report about the letter, Sebi responded with a press release, which said such claims are "misplaced", which seems to have irked the employees.
The regulator said that some "external elements" had instigated its employees into believing that they shouldn't be held to high standards of performance and accountability, though, it did not provide specific details.
"The claims of unprofessional work culture in the letter dated August 6, 2024, are misplaced," Sebi said in a statement.
The regulator suspects that junior officers have been receiving messages from outside parties encouraging them to "go to the media, the Ministry, or the Board," possibly for the outsiders' own agendas.
"Sebi apprehends that the junior officers have been receiving messages from external elements outside their group, effectively instigating them to 'go to media, go to the Ministry, go to Board', perhaps to serve their own purpose. In fact, the letter of August 6, 2024, was not sent by the Sebi employee associations to the Government (and a section of the media)," the statement noted.
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FIR against Haryana BJP chief in gang-rape case: Cong seeks his removal, questions PM's 'silence'
New Delhi, Jan 15: The Congress Wednesday slammed the BJP over the FIR registered against the party's Haryana unit chief for alleged gang rape, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi must answer why the accused has still not been removed from the post despite such a serious allegation against him.
Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli and a singer were booked after a woman alleged that she was raped by them in a hotel in Himachal Pradesh's Kasauli. Police have registered an FIR against the two men, officials said.
According to the complainant, the two men made videos of the act and threatened to kill the victim if she informed anyone about the incident.
Addressing a press conference here, Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba alleged that the Haryana BJP state president was involved in the girl's gang rape on the pretext of getting her a permanent government job.
She claimed BJP leaders have been involved in committing crimes against women earlier too.
BJP MP Brijbhushan Sharan Singh was accused of sexual harassment and BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was accused of rape, while in Karnataka, the BJP gave a poll ticket to "mass rapist" Prajwal Revanna and the Prime Minister went to campaign for him, she said.
"BJP leaders are able to muster the courage to commit sexual harassment because their party is standing with them," she said, alleging that the prime minister's 'Beti Bachao' slogan is a sham.
"The truth is that daughters have to be saved from BJP leaders only. The Congress government will not allow injustice to happen to any daughter," Lamba said.
Demanding that Badoli be removed from his post, the Congress leader said, "BJP president J P Nadda ji, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji and Amit Shah ji, the law is in your hands. You create pressure, hence no action is taken against the criminals and daughters do not get justice."
"The BJP will have to answer how their (Haryana) state president is still in his post after such a serious allegation. The prime minister, home minister, BJP Mahila Morcha, BJP's national president and big leaders must answer," she said.
"On one hand, an FIR has been filed against Haryana BJP president on rape charges... in Madhya Pradesh, BJP leader Ajit Pal Singh Chauhan has been arrested for raping a woman. In such an environment, the Women’s Commission, which has the responsibility of providing justice to women, is silent. The daughters of the country are demanding justice, but PM Modi is silent," Lamba said.
Referring to the BJP's Delhi Assembly poll candidate Ramesh Bidhuri's remark that he will make roads which will be like Congress leader "Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks", Lamba said the comments prove how much respect his party has for women.
"Bidhuri's eyes are more on the cheeks of mothers, sisters and daughters than on the roads. Women protested against the lowly statement, after which he had to apologize. However, Bidhuri is continuously making objectionable statements," she said.
The BJP is silent over Bidhuri's statements and is promoting such language instead, the Mahila Congress chief claimed.
