Women rights groups raised voice for amendments to the State’s women policy and demanded modifications commensurate with the outcome desired by them at the Janta Darbar held by Chief Minister, Raghubar Das on Saturday at his official residence.
Representatives from two rights groups — Chotanagpur Sanskritik Sangh and Association for Advocacy and legal Initiatives (AAlI) — approached the CM to put up their demands with complains of bypassing recommendations of rights groups in the draft that was approved by Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha last year.
“The policy was implemented hastily before Assembly elections. The draft did not include recommendations of members of Jharkhand State Women Commission, Child and Women Welfare Committee who were also a part of the drafting committee,” said a member of the drafting committee for women policy, Shuchi Kumari. Kumari, who represents Chotanagpur Sanskritik Sangh, alleged that the draft proposal was not displayed on Government website or public domain before implementation. The former member also alleged that the policy in its present form lacks vision for the betterment of women.
Representatives from AAlI echoed a similar view and dismissed the policy as a mere Government document and devoid of compassion for women on the edge of the society, especially those belonging to weaker sections of the society. The members of AAlI also expressed that the policy is silent about implementing provisions of Prevention of Atrocities against Women Ordinance, Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
“The policy did not classify women belonging to primitive tribes, adivasi, dalits and backward class as per their cultural identity which incidentally also represents state’s identity,” said a member of AAlI, Kanaklata. Saturday’s Janta Darbar would be known for women speaking for their rights as pink auto drivers also approached Das to seek his intervention into the long pending demand of permits and added protection from nefarious elements also in the demand note. The women auto drivers of the first women only auto service interacted with the CM to also seek respite from alleged harassment by police. Notably, the pink autos are plying on city’s streets without valid permit and claimed that they have been denied permits to operate in the RMC area.
“We are being threatened by the owner of the agency which floated pink autos and we are being falsely implicated in the case of manhandling and causing threat to the owner of the agency,” said auto driver lalmuni Devi.
The CM ordered Ranchi SSP, Prabhat Kumar to go into the matter and take appropriate actions.
Incidentally, cases of vilification, disputes of contract workers with department and justice to rape victims also bagged CM’s attention.