Guna BJP MLA’s solution for ending crimes against women: Stop making boyfriends
According to National Crime Records Bureau figures, Madhya Pradesh recorded more than 8,000 cases of sexual harassment against women in 2016, the third highest in the country.
BJP MLA from Guna, Pannalal Shakya, came under fire from the Congress on Sunday for saying crimes against women were rising in the state because ‘girls kept boyfriends’.
BJP MLA from Guna Pannalal Shakya said crimes against women were rising in the state because girls had boyfriends. (ANI Photo)
The first time MLA from Guna, who was speaking at a function at Girl’s Degree College in Guna for distribution of smartphones on Saturday, said, “Ladkiyan boyfriends kyun banati hain (why do girls have boyfriends?)... Nahin banana chahiye aur atyachar bhi nahin honge (Girls should refrain from having boyfriends and atrocities against them will end).
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When contacted, Shakya stuck to his statement. “I am against western culture and my speech was based on that only,” he said on Sunday.
According to National Crime Records Bureau figures, Madhya Pradesh recorded more than 8,000 cases of sexual harassment against women in 2016, the third highest in the country.
Earlier, Shakya had triggered a controversy by calling Indian men’s cricket team captain Virat Kohli and actor Anushka Sharma unpatriotic for getting married in Italy. He had also said Kohli didn’t deserve to be called a youth icon because he married in Italy.
State Congress spokesperson Deepti Singh said, “Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has spent crores of rupees to spread awareness under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme but he failed to change the mean mentality of his ministers and MLAs. The BJP-led state government has failed to check the crimes against women and now they are trying to chain the girls by giving such statements.”
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.
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