Woman accuses senior Jindal Steel executive of ‘sexually harassing’ her on flight from India to UAE | India News

NEW DELHI: In yet another case of alleged sexual harassment, a woman flying Etihad from Kolkata to Abu Dhabi in the US has accused a fellow passenger of “showing her porn” and “groping” her. The accused, a long-time employee of Naveen Jindal’s Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL), who is currently setting up a green steel plant for the group in Oman, was arrested on arrival in Abu Dhabi and then released, sources say. Naveen Jindal has assured the complainant that the company will “immediately investigate the matter and take the strictest and necessary action thereafter”.

Ananya Chhaochharia, co-chair of the India Conference at Harvard, shared her harrowing experience on X (formerly Twitter). “I am sharing an incident that happened to me on a flight from Kolkata to Abu Dhabi (connecting to Boston). I am very grateful to Etihad staff and Abu Dhabi Police for the support they extended to me. I was sitting next to an industrialist (Dinesh Kr Saraogi, CEO of Jindal Steel). He must be around 65 years old and told me that he now lives in Oman but travels frequently. He started chatting with me. A very normal conversation about our roots, family etc. He is from Churu in Rajasthan and his two sons are married and settled in the US etc,” she said on her X handle @ananyac05.

“The conversation turned to my hobbies. He asked if I liked watching movies and I said of course. Then he told me he had some movie clips on his phone. He pulled out his phone and headphones to show me PORN! He started groping me. I was paralyzed with shock and fear,” she said.

Chhaochharia “eventually ran to the toilet and complained to the (airline) staff. Fortunately, the Etihad team was very proactive and intervened immediately. They let me sit in their seating area and served me tea and fruit. He kept calling them to ask where I had gone. The staff also informed the police officers in Abu Dhabi, who were waiting as soon as the gates of the plane were opened.”

“I couldn’t file a complaint because I would have missed my connecting flight to Boston. I was escorted to the next gate to make sure he didn’t get too close to me. He didn’t deny it when the police questioned him. I’m telling you this because I want to remind everyone that this can happen to anyone,” she said.

She contacted Naveen Jindal through X, “so he knows what kind of people are in leadership positions. I am also afraid of how this abuser must treat his female employees from a position of power.”

Naveen Jindal replied to her on X, “Dear Ananya, thank you for coming forward and voicing your opinion! It takes a lot of courage to do what you did and I want you to know that we have a zero tolerance policy in such cases. I have asked the team to investigate the matter immediately and after that, the strictest and necessary action will be taken.”

Chhaochharia said she was “fine, a little unsettled and disturbed. I feel hurt, but I also want to make sure that something like this never happens to a woman again.”

According to sources, the accused, who is over 60 years old, has been employed by Jindal Steel for over 30 years. Until about a year ago, he was the managing director at the company’s Angul plant before being transferred to another company owned by Naveen Jindal, which is setting up a green steel plant in Oman. Saraogi is currently CEO of Vulcan Green Steel. “If he is found guilty, strict action, including dismissal, will be taken against him,” sources say.