The Freethought Party of India (FPI) and the AMOFOI jointly celebrated the International Women’s Day here with AMOFOI president Manas Jena in the chair. The function was inaugurated by social reformer Deba Prasad Ray.
While welcoming the guests, FPI general secretary B Ramchandra CST Voltaire highlighted the importance of the celebration of March 8 as the International Women’s Day. He demanded 100 per cent gender equality, total abolition of caste system, dropping of surnames, discontinuance of the sacred thread ceremony, free registration of priest-less love marriage at the panchayat level and strong action for preventing trafficking of girls and putting them into sex slavery.
While honouring Debaprasad Ray for his leadership in stopping the feudal practice of animal sacrifice 36 years back in Gadarupas village on Gop-Konark Road, 50km from Bhubaneswar, Dr Bijayananda Kar observed that without bold leadership mankind in India can never be liberated from the burden of all pre-Copernican ideas and practices.
Among others, president of DVCWA Er Purna Chandra Chow Pattanaik, secretary Soraj Kumar Behera, CPI (ML) leader Banshidhar Parida, Swapna Bijayini, Nirupama Pani, Harish Chandra Kar spoke.