A woman has accused the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jindal Steel, Dinesh Kr Saraogi, of allegedly sexually assaulting her on a flight from Calcutta to Abu Dhabi on Thursday. Following the incident, the founder of Jindal Steel, Naveen Jindal, assured that “strictest and necessary action” would be taken.
The accuser, identified as Ananya Chhaochharia, detailed the incident in a post on X.
“Sharing an incident that happened with me on the flight from Calcutta to Abu Dhabi (transit to Boston). I am very grateful to the airline staff and the Abu Dhabi police for the support they provided me. TW: Sexual Assault.”
“I was seated next to an industrialist (Dinesh Kr Saraogi, CEO of Jindal Steel). He must be roughly 65 in age and told me he now lives in Oman but travels frequently. He started chatting me up—very normal conversation about our roots, family, etc. He is from Churu in Rajasthan and both sons are married and settled in the US. The conversation moved to what my hobbies are. He asked if I enjoy watching movies and I was like, of course. He then proceeds to tell me he has some movie clips on his phone. He whips out his phone and earphones to show me PORN!” she alleged in her post.
Ananya further recounted, “He started groping me. I was frozen in shock and fear. I eventually ran off to the washroom and complained to the air staff. Thankfully, the Etihad team was very proactive and took immediate action. They made me sit in their seating area and served me tea and fruits.”
Despite the support, she could not file a complaint at the time due to her tight connection to Boston. “He kept calling them to ask where I had gone. The staff also informed the cops at Abu Dhabi, who were waiting as soon as the aircraft gates opened. I was escorted to the next gate to ensure he did not come near me. He did not deny the allegations when the cops questioned him. I am sharing this because I want to remind everyone that something like this can happen to anyone,” she said.
Ananya tagged Naveen Jindal in her post, urging him to address the issue and highlighting her concerns about the treatment of female employees under Saraogi’s leadership.
Responding to the allegations, Naveen Jindal expressed his gratitude to Ananya for speaking up and assured swift action.
“Dear Ananya, thank you for reaching out and speaking up! It takes a lot of courage to do what you did, and I want you to know that we have a zero-tolerance policy for such matters. I have asked the team to immediately investigate the matter and, thereafter, strictest and necessary action will be taken,” Naveen Jindal posted on X.
