Coming down heavily on the State Government and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over forcing women to remove black scarves and shawls before their entry to the CM’s rally in Sundargarh on Sunday, the BJP on Monday said it would stage demonstrations before all blocks and civic bodies across the State on Tuesday as a mark of protest.
“The police showed disrespect to the women participants in the CM’s rally by forcing them to take off their black coloured stoles and shawls. Disrespecting women is tantamount to harbouring great insult on the people of Odisha. The police also tried to outrage the women’s modesty,” BJP State president Basanta Panda told reporters here.
He said earlier a similar incident had occurred in a meeting in Bargarh, where the Chief Minister was present.
“This is a reflection of sick mentality. The incident has killed the values of human rights and disgraced women’s dignity. The heinous attempt to outrage women’s modesty by the police was done at the behest of the CM,” alleged Panda.
He demanded that the Chief Minister should apologise for the unsavoury incident and punish those involved.
Notably, the police personnel forced women to remove their black scarves before their entry to a public meeting addressed by Patnaik in Sundargarh district on Sunday as black cloths are a sign of protesting the CM.
It was also alleged that some women wearing black sarees were denied entry to the meeting. The incident had triggered discontent among the people.
Panda too charged that nearly 88 per cent SHGs in the State are yet to get banking facility.