Thousands of women from across the State ‘gheraoed’ the Chief Minister’s residence on Monday in response to the call of the Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Morcha, demanding a CBI inquiry into the alleged rape and abortion of a Nari Niketan inmate and the recent death of two other inmates of the shelter home.
They were, however, stopped at the barricade police erected at Hatibarkala. The agitators claimed they were successful in their mission of gheraoing the CM residence by way of their token stir.
Seven women police personnel and around a dozen BJP women protesters sustained minor injuries as altercation broke out between the police and the protesters at the police barricade at Hathibarkala. Police arrested around 78 women protesters under section 151 of CrPC to be released later at Police line.
Senior BJP leaders who attended the rally included BJP State president Ajay Bhatt, Haridwar MP and former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, former cabinet minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and BJP Mahanagar president Umesh Aggarwal.
Women protesters started pouring in their droves in Dehradun from across the State since the morning to attend the rally. Buses filled with women BJP leaders and supporters were found reaching Subhash Road. The rally started at noon. Those participating in it raised slogans against the State government, slamming it for its alleged reluctance to recommend a high- level inquiry into the shoddy things that allegedly had happened at the government -run shelter home. The protesters used loud speakers during the rally.
Ajay Bhatt claimed that the rally conducted by the BJP Mahila Morcha was successful with the participation of large number of women from across the State. “They highlighted the matter and vented the anger of the people against the Harish Rawat government which has been sitting on the demand for a high level inquiry to nail and punish the real accused of the heinous rape/abortion crime,” he added.
He said his party was not happy with the judicial inquiry the Chief Minister had announced earlier on the day to probe the matter. “Had the State government announced judicial injury under the Commission of inquiry Act 1952, we would have welcomed it. It would just prove to be an eye- wash as has happened in several previous cases,” Bhatt said, adding that they would be happy with nothing short of a CBI inquiry. “ Our stir would continue, demanding justice for the rare crime until the State government clears decks for a CBI probe,” he said.
A woman BJP leader who had participated in the rally said that they had no faith in the inquiry announced by the State government.
“Our previous experiences are too bad to make us hope for the better. For instance, a committee led by ADM as formed by DM has conducted an inquiry into the death of the home’s inmates. But no one was found guilty and no responsibility was fixed. It proved a sham,” she said.
She said that the State government is not serious over the procession of deaths occurring at the home.
“Over the past three years, as many as 12 inmates of the home had died. This is due to the apathy of the State Government,” she said.