Dupatta blackout puts Nitish on backfoot
12 Oct 2012 5:36 AM IST
Ever since protestors at Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s ongoing Adhikar Yatra showed him black flags, district authorities in the state have been scrupulously keeping all things black out of his public meetings. But no one expected dupattas – to be snatched.
Members of the opposition, activists and intellectuals have now sprung to the defence of hapless women who found themselves divested of their black dupattas during Nitish Kumar’s ongoing whirl-wind rights rallies across the state.
Over the past two days, policemen in Nawada district and at other places are said to have been removing the dupattas that young girls and women wore at rallies, if the piece of cloth happened to be black. Those unwilling to let go of their dupattas were simply asked to stay away from the meeting.
‘I’ve never heard of something like this. The removal of a dupatta by force is a crime. It is a violation of human rights,’ said Kanchan Bala, a woman activist. Another woman activist, Sharda, wondered how a police force that has an abysmal record in checking the rising crime against women, including incidents of rape, has shown such alacrity in implementing the ‘ban-black’ instructions, reportedly issued by none else than the chief minister.
‘This is shameful. Nitish Kumar owes the people, especially the women, an apology,’ Sharda said.
State president of Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal [United] Vashisht Narain Singh said neither the party nor the CM had anything to do with the removal of black dupattas. ‘No such order was passed,’ he said. A senior police official too said that the state administration and police headquarters have nothing to do with the incidents.
DARK DAYS FOR BIHAR
Members of the opposition, activists and intellectuals have now sprung to the defence of hapless women who found themselves divested of their black dupattas during Nitish Kumar’s ongoing whirl-wind rights rallies across the state.
Over the past two days, policemen in Nawada district and at other places are said to have been removing the dupattas that young girls and women wore at rallies, if the piece of cloth happened to be black. Those unwilling to let go of their dupattas were simply asked to stay away from the meeting.
‘I’ve never heard of something like this. The removal of a dupatta by force is a crime. It is a violation of human rights,’ said Kanchan Bala, a woman activist. Another woman activist, Sharda, wondered how a police force that has an abysmal record in checking the rising crime against women, including incidents of rape, has shown such alacrity in implementing the ‘ban-black’ instructions, reportedly issued by none else than the chief minister.
‘This is shameful. Nitish Kumar owes the people, especially the women, an apology,’ Sharda said.
State president of Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal [United] Vashisht Narain Singh said neither the party nor the CM had anything to do with the removal of black dupattas. ‘No such order was passed,’ he said. A senior police official too said that the state administration and police headquarters have nothing to do with the incidents.
DARK DAYS FOR BIHAR
- Protesters at Nitish Kumar’s Adhikar Yatra have been showing him black flags at every meet
- District authorities in Bihar have stepped up action to keep away all things black from such political meets
- To the surprise of all, even black dupattas were taken away from women who were attending the Adhikar Yatra
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