Thursday, April 28 2005 15:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: Indian Air Force said that its official Anjali Gupta, who is facing court martial, was today (Apr 28, 2005) taken into custody "to prevent her from harming herself".

The decision to order for Gupta's custody was taken after perusing the contents of a petition filed by her before the Karnataka State Commission for Women in which she said "she is on the verge of taking her life" citing perceived harassment, an IAF spokesman said.

"Therefore, she is kept under custody, so that she does not harm herself", the spokesman said.

Gupta, working at the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) in Bangalore, is facing court martial on charges of indiscipline, insubordination and financial irregularities.

The IAF had yesterday (Apr 27, 2005) announced a Court of Inquiry into her charges of sexual harassment against three IAF officials.

Gupta, the first woman IAF official to undergo court martial, had yesterday asked for a probe into alleged corruption in her unit in Bangalore and suspension of proceedings against her for three months.

Gupta's mother Uma Gupta had said in Bangalore yesterday that her daughter should be given a month's leave, as she was under "tremendous emotional and mental stress" and needed to find a counsel in Delhi to fight her case.

"If this kind of mental harassment continues, it will lead her to take extreme steps like suicide", her mother had said.