Oppn raps govt on crime against women

Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 8

The opposition took on Manohar Lal Khattar government on the issue of law and order on the occasion of International Women’s Day today.

Reading out from the long list of crime against women during the beginning of the current year, INLD and Congress legislators alleged that incidents of rape and violence against women were on the rise.

Quoting statistics from different sources, they said that the situation had worsened over the last few years and women were feeling unsafe in the state.

To protest repeated injunctions by way of raising point of order on taking the government to task, Congress legislator and former minister Geeta Bhukkal and MLA Shakuntla Khatak walked up to Deputy Speaker Santosh Yadav and demanded “protection” from ministers and legislators on Treasury Benches alleging threats. “We feel intimidated inside the House. What would be the plight outside?” Bhukkal told the Deputy Speaker.

INLD legislator Naina Singh Chautala told the House during a debate on the Governor’s Address that the incidents of gang rape and violence this year had been heart-rending.

She mentioned cases of crime against women starting with January and read out a long list mentioning incidents that involved rape and burning of a Dalit in Panipat while the body of woman was found in a canal in Kurukshetra. She said that most of the crime has been perpetuated against Dalit women.

Naina went to the extent of saying that the widow of a martyr had to get her head tonsured to catch the attention of the government.

“If widows of martyrs have to resort to such extreme steps, what are the chances of a common woman being heard?” she asked. She repeatedly said, “I am not naming anyone, but all of you in this House who talk of Women’s Day will react strongly if I were to mention some deeds pertaining to women.”

Bhukkal was no less furious on the issue of the deteriorating law and order. She said that the Governor’s Address did not mention many incidents of crime against women by brushing aside all that had been happening to women in the state.

She referred to Parkash Singh Committee report on Jat violence and said that the leadership in the state had totally flopped. She mentioned Dera Sacha Sauda violence in Panchkula and said the law and order situation had completely collapsed.

Blaming bad governance for the deteriorating law and order situation, the Congress leader said that the records of the National Crime Bureau had put Haryana among the top states in terms of recording crime against women.

She said incidents of kidnapping were on the rise, but the state government had been trying to act as if nothing had happened. Minister Krishan Bedi was so uneasy with the allegations of rising crime against women that he repeatedly raised a point of order against almost anything Naina and Bhukkal raised.

He was supported by some other members of the Treasury Benches in debunking the allegations made by opposition members. The Chief Minister, also the Home Minister and incharge of law and order, was not present in the House to defend the allegations against his government.