PrashantNews
After Ankita Bhandari murder case, the BJP government is drawing flak in the wake of a series of alleged rapes and molestations of women in Uttarakhand with the opposition and citizens hitting the streets to hold protests.
A large number of people and political leaders on Saturday held protest demonstrations voicing their concern on incidents such as the gang rape of a minor at ISBT Dehradun, the murder of a nurse in Rudrapur, the molestation of a minor girl in Salt and the murder of Ankita Bhandari.
Buckling under pressure, the ruling BJP has suspended Bhagwat Bora, its block chief of Salt in Almora district after alleged molestation of minor girl when she was grazing goats in the fields. An FIR has already been lodged against Bora.
Launching a blistering attack on BJP, state Congress President Karan Mahara alleged that these incidents are occurring because the ruling party has given licence to its leaders to commit crimes against women. “The government has given a compete freedom to commit rapes, molestations and atrocities against women,” Mahara said.
On the other hand, BJP state President Mahendra Bhatt said the party would provide all kinds of cooperation in the investigations in all these alleged crimes. He appealed to the political parties not to politicize such incidents.
The Dehradun Citizens Forum organized a Solidarity Gathering outside Gandhi Park in Dehradun concerning women’s safety, inviting various organizations to participate. In the evening, hundreds of city residents and members of various organizations assembled there to demand better protection for women. a memorandum was also submitted to the government which called for swift justice in the Uttarakhand and Kolkata cases and urged quick punishment for those guilty in the Ankita Bhandari case. Bhandari was killed in a resort by son of a prominent BJP leader a couple of years ago.
Top Congress leaders including former Chief Minister Harish Rawat and the Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya gathered in Haridwar to hold protest demonstrations on the issue.