The women wings of opposition parties Congress and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) on Tuesday held demonstrations demanding resignation of the Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala and strict action against his son, who is accused of stalking the daughter of an IAS officer.
Led by the All India Mahila Congress (AIMC) president Shobha Oza, a delegation of the state unit submitted a memorandum to Haryana governor Kaptan Singh Solanki and UT administrator and Punjab governor VP Badnore, demanding action against those delaying justice to Varnika Kundu.
Later, Oza told mediapersons that they were was pained to see that the Chandigarh police, working directly under the Union home ministry, were trying to protect Barala and his son. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take an exemplary action against his party leaders and bureaucrats who have tried to protect the culprits. We appreciate Vernika’s exemplary courage and urge the central government to honour her with a bravery award,” she said.
She termed as ironical Barala’s statement that Vernika was like his daughter. “If he had any such feeling, he would have himself got all the serious sections included in the FIR (first information report) against his son,” she said.
“If these people are not punished for their misdeeds, then such people will get encouraged and our daughters would be really unsafe in this country. Unfortunately, police are trying to hush up the matter under pressure, this is condemnable. If this daughter of ours does not get justice in this case, then women and girls in this country will lose their faith in the system,” she said. Oza also said that ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ has been reduced to a mere slogan in Haryana.
{{/usCountry}}“If these people are not punished for their misdeeds, then such people will get encouraged and our daughters would be really unsafe in this country. Unfortunately, police are trying to hush up the matter under pressure, this is condemnable. If this daughter of ours does not get justice in this case, then women and girls in this country will lose their faith in the system,” she said. Oza also said that ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ has been reduced to a mere slogan in Haryana.
{{/usCountry}}On the alleged attack on the woman on social media, she said, “Attempts were being made to spread lies about her. We demand that all those involved should be booked for cyber crime.” The woman wing of the INLD also submitted a memorandum to Solanki decrying shoddy functioning of the UT police in the case. Demanding resignation of Barala, the INLD workers, e led by INLD state president Ashok Arora and woman wing president Sheela Bhyan, demanded appropriate sections be added to the FIR.
When the INLD women workers tried take out a protest rally up to Raj Bhawan, they were stopped by the police and taken in a bus to the governor house where they submitted the memorandum. However, about two dozen workers who did not go to the Raj Bhawan continued a demonstrate near the MLA hostel complex and burnt an effigy of Barala.
(With agency inputs)