Facing severe criticism for its failure to ensure safety of women in the Haryana, Manohar lal Khattar Government seems to have finally woken up and accepted the demand of more than 80 girls, who were sitting on a hunger strike since May 10 demanding upgradation of their village high school to senior secondary school in Rewari.
The incident had hit the national headlines and caused a lot of embarrassment to the Haryana Government, which is already under fire in the wake of gang-rape cases in Rohtak and Gurugram.
More than 80 girls of Rewari’s Gothra Tappa Dahina village were sitting on a hunger strike since May 10 demanding upgradation of their village high school to senior secondary school, alleging that the senior secondary school that they are in, is about 3 km away in another village and they face harassment on the way to their school from local boys.
Several girls were also admitted to the hospital as their health had deteriorated due to the hunger strike, which they finally ended on the eighth day on Wednesday following a Government’s notification on upgradation of their village school.
Unhappy with the mishandling of the sensitive issue, Chief Minister Manohar lal on Wednesday convened a meeting with Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma and issued directions to immediately issue the notification of upgradation of the school.
Sources said the Chief Minister sought reply from the Education Minister on the issue and also, expressed his displeasure over the delay in issuing the said notification even after Government gave assurance on this two days back.
Following his meeting with the Chief Minister, Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma, while talking to the mediapersons said that the village school has been upgraded, a Principal has been appointed and the admission process will begin from Thursday onwards.
The issue has been discussed with the CM and a notification is issued, said the Minister.
When asked why the government took eight days to address the grievances of girl students, the Education Minister refrained from commenting further and said that the government took notice of the issue and the school has been upgraded now.
On being asked why the government representatives did not meet the girls in the past eight days, Sharma claimed that BJP MlA Bikram Singh Yadav went to meet them five days back and had also given them assurance that their demand will be fulfilled.
On opposition’s demand of his resignation on the issue, the Education Minister did not respond and walkout out of the hurriedly called press conference by him.
Additional Chief Secretary, School Education, PK Das informed that the village school did not fulfill the norms of upgradation but it has been decided to upgrade the school by giving relaxation in rules.
Commneting on the cases of eve-teasing by anti-social elements with the girls going to other villages for education, Das said that besides the State Government, it is also the social responsibility of the Panchayats and other prominent people of the village to come forward to deal with the anti-social elements.
At the time when the BJP led State Government is pushing its ambitious ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ project and also carrying out ‘Operation Durga’ to curb eve-teasing, the tale of Gothra Tappa Dahina village is seen as a grim reminder of government’s apathy in dealing with sensitive issues.
The opposition-Congress and INlD- had also launched a scathing attack on Haryana Government for ignoring the demand of girl students of the village for eight days.
Haryana former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda while questioning the State Government for delaying the process of school upgradation, said that the government is not serious about the safety of girls.
On the other hand, leader of opposition in Haryana Assembly and INlD’s senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala said that the government is only interested in advertisements and slogans on ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ but not at all serious about its implementation. This is not the first time that the state has seen such a protest from girl students.
last year, Rewari’s Suma Khera village was in the news when its residents stopped sending the girls to school in lala village following the alleged rape of a girl en route to the school in April last. The residents of Suma Khera village had also staged a sit-in demonstration against the BJP-led Haryana Governmen demanding upgradatin of primary schools to middle schools.