Srinagar municipal corporation mayor accused of sexual harassment

Srinagar,Jan 2:

A woman corporator has accused Srinagar Mayor JunaidAzimMattu of sexual harassment, said reports. While Mattu has denied the allegation, the issue has reportedly divided the municipal corporation into camps.

A Congress corporator has accused Mattu of seeking sexual favours. She has also accused the staff of abusing and manhandling her in office. “We go to office to save our honour. But if our honour is disparaged, we will not accept it. He has continuously been asking me to go with him for enjoyment. He has harassed me a number of times. If the police do not lodge an FIR, we will approach the Supreme Court,” the woman corporator said.

Claiming that the woman is his mother’s age, Mattu said he wasn’t even in office on Monday when she assaulted his personal assistant and ransacked the property. Mattu said he had the support of most of the corporators and he had written to Governor Satya Pal Malik to disqualify the woman corporator for levelling motivated allegations.

“The said corporator should have upheld the dignity of womanhood and of truth by accepting her fault and apologising to the officers for the incident of assault. I am saddened by the fact that she has chosen to level these baseless allegations against me under a well-crafted conspiracy hatched by a senior elected representative – who is clearly exposed for his role in this fiasco by the voice recording in my possession,” Mattu said.

The issue has divided the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) into two camps with the Mayor claiming that the woman corporator is working on the instructions of his deputy, Sheikh Imran.

“If Sheikh Imran thinks he will loot the SMC, he is mistaken. He has looted J&K bank and I will not allow him to loot SMC,” Mattu said. Imran said 40 to 50 corporators will resign to dissolve the SMC. “JunaidMattu will be in minority. We all are one and we have vowed that we will not allow excesses to be committed with us,” said Imran.