.... the brain is not a vessel to be filled,
It is something to be IGNITED

Further to the sexual harassment of female students in Ludhiana (Punjab), BBS moved a complaint with NCW. Read the complaint.

BBS/NCW/2006/02
September 28, 2006 

National Commission for Women,
4, Deen Dayal Upadhayaya Marg,
New Delhi-110 002 

Telephone:  91-11-23237166, 91-11-23236988
Fax: 91-11-23236154  

SEXUAL EXPLOITATION; VIOLATION OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND CONTRAVENTION OF THE SUPREME COURT GUIDELINES IN PUNJAB 

Madam, 

We would like to bring to your notice instances of grave violations and criminal acts against women in the State of Punjab. What is most unfortunate that the perpetrator of such criminal act is the Punjab Police and the Government of Punjab itself. 

It was a shame to see the photograph on the front page of the newspaper “The Indian Express” dated Sep. 22, 2006. The front page photograph showed policemen brutally pulling a girl student and physically molesting the girl. The picture also shows the hand of a male police official trying to unstring the “salwar” of the girl and disrobe her besides the other acts of sexual molestation. All this was done in full public view and in the presence of the Punjab Chief Minister. Instead of taking action against the police officials engaged in such criminal acts, the chief minister sided with the police and got a case registered against these students itself. 

Agitating peacefully is a constitutional right and policing is a state duty. So without debating on the merit of the agitation and the right of the state to police; we wish to highlight the cruelty and criminality of the Police and the state in dealing with the female students with a clear intention to insult the modesty of the women and sexually harass them.

Another picture of the same agitation (But a different picture) appears in the newspaper “Times of India” dated September 28, 2006. The picture shows a policeman with her hands on a women’s breast. 

As a social activist, I still don’t know what it takes to make the political leaders react and act when such brutalities and criminality against women comes to light. What would happen if tomorrow the same thing is done with Mrs. Sonia Gandhi or Mrs. Parneet Kaur (When they are agitating/protesting or sitting on a dharna: which every political person has to do). Will the state and the NCW still not act in such cases?  

From our end, the least we could do is to call the NCW to take cognizance of these actions and take strong measures so that no one dares to indulge in suchlike criminal acts in future. The NCW should not see these girls as merely ordinary students but rather act as if such actions have happened with Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.

The minimum which any citizen expects from the NCW is to pass instructions for registration of criminal cases against the erring police officials and instruct the state government to terminate (Not merely suspend) all such policemen from service. 

Expecting to see immediate and effective action,

Yours cordially 

Hemant Goswami

Chairperson: Burning Brain Society
Chairperson: Society for Prevention of Crime & Corruption 

Attached:

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