The dismissal of the petition filed by former Managing Director of its BPO arm HP Global Soft Ltd, Som Mittal, with regard to the alleged rape and murder case of one of its employees in Bangalore in 2005 has taken the BPO association, Business Process Industry Association of India (BPIAI) by surprise.

Mr. Sam Chopra, President BPIAI said that, I would like to support Mr. Mittal and all CEOs, CxOs who are willing to take responsibility. We're committed towards ensuring employee safety. As an industry we have strong internal processes & rigor on driving safety & security and which are strictly adhered to. We have deployed a security force & a team dedicated for ensuring secure travel.

The association also mentioned that due diligence in the form of regular audits / investigations must be done to ensure that the laws are followed before such incidents take place. Security of people on the roads is a national issue which includes government agencies, police and industry and not of one company. This important aspect cannot be relegated to the responsibility of one constituent. A fair path down the middle would be more realistic approach to the issue.

23^rd February 2008

Gurgaon