Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on Friday said she had directed Air India to expedite inquiries by its internal complaint committee on 12 claims of sexual harassment. Gandhi said on Twitter that she had reviewed the cases of sexual harassment at Air India and Air India Express on Thursday along with Air India Chairperson Pradeep Singh Kharola and officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Ministry of Personnel and Training.

The Union minister said she had directed the airline and the civil aviation ministry to sensitise male employees to refrain from making women feel threatened in any manner. “The Air India chairperson and managing director informed [us] that there are 12 ongoing cases before different internal complaint committees,” Gandhi tweeted. “The internal complaint committees have been instructed to quickly process these cases to enable women, with genuine grievances, to explore proper administrative and legal mechanisms for redressal.”

Gandhi urged male employees to “remain extra sensitive to the perceptions of their female colleagues”.

Gandhi had summoned Kharola to discuss the delay in a sexual harassment case investigation based on a complaint filed by a flight attendant against a senior executive, PTI reported. Gandhi had met the woman and asked the national carrier to submit a report on the matter by June. Unidentified women and child development ministry officials, however, said the report was yet to be submitted.