NOIDA: A man working at a mall in Sector 75 has accused two colleagues of harassing him over body odour and making caste-based remarks. A local court on Wednesday admitted his complaint and directed that a case be registered.Additional district and sessions judge Somprabha Mishra observed that the applicant had provided specific details about the date, time and location of the alleged incident, as well as the identities of the accused. The court said this made it appropriate to treat the plea as a complaint under Section 173(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.The provision allows an informant to approach a magistrate if the police fail to register a case despite a complaint. According to the order, a special Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act court will record the complainant’s statement under Section 223 of the BNSS on April 10.The complainant, Pawan Kumar, a Noida resident who works as a salesman at a kiosk in Spectrum Mall, told the court that two women, Aajra Siyamwala and Shimona, who run a nearby kiosk, had repeatedly mocked him with remarks related to his caste and body odour, causing him mental distress.In his application, Kumar said that on Feb 10, around 1pm, while he was repairing a light at his workplace, Siyamwala approached him and began verbally abusing him. He alleged that she objected to him handling the light fittings, argued with him and used casteist remarks.Kumar alleged that the woman insulted him in front of others and physically assaulted him. He said staff members present at the mall intervened and separated them. According to him, he later filed a complaint with the police but no action was taken.The court sought a report from Sector 113 police station. After reviewing the police report and the documents submitted by the complainant, the judge noted that no case had been registered regarding the alleged Feb 10 incident.Based on the available material, the court said it was appropriate to treat the application as a complaint under Section 173(4) of the BNSS and proceed with the case.
