Four Indian cabinet ministers will suggest steps to address sexual harassment at work, the government said on Wednesday (24), after a growing #MeToo movement sparked accusations against more than a dozen men and forced a minister to resign.
The two men and two women will review existing provisions on women's safety and recommend further measures, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.
Women's groups say a requirement under current harassment laws that accusations have been made to a workplace complaints committee within three months is unfair. They also say it is not clear who takes responsibility for ensuring compliance once a decision is taken on a complaint.
"The government is committed to ensure the safety and dignity of women in the workforce," said the ministry, whose boss, Rajnath Singh, will lead the group.
India's junior minister for foreign affairs, M J Akbar, resigned this month to fight accusations of sexual harassment from more than a dozen women during his previous career as a journalist. He has denied wrongdoing and filed a defamation suit against one of his accusers.
The #MeToo movement, which began in the United States more than a year ago, gained traction in India last month after an actress accused a veteran actor of behaving inappropriately 10 years ago.
Since then many women have accused men from the worlds of media, Bollywood, politics and art of offences ranging from harassment to rape.
The government statement on Wednesday also said that the Ministry of Women and Child Development had launched an "electronic complaints box" for harassment cases.
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.