Expressing concern over the skewed sex ratio, female foeticide and crimes against women in Haryana, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said these are matters of grave concern and are the result of the patriarchal mindset of sections of society in the state.

Gandhi, who came to participate in the first convocation ceremony at the Bhagat Phool Singh Women’s University on Friday, said the UPA-2 government has taken some concrete steps to fix the problem but a lot more needs to be done.

She said the government would soon enact a new law to check crimes against women.

Calling Haryana a unique land, she said, “On the one side, there is a development and modern society while on the other there is a society that has a regressive mindset.

“The incidents of rape and female foeticide make our heads hang in shame and it is everyone’s responsibility to raise their voice against the menace,” she said.