PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The workers of Uttarakhand Mahila Congress organised a protest March towards the residence of chief minister on Wednesday. Led by the president of Mahila Congress, Jyoti Rautela, the Congress workers demanded removal of live-in relationship provision from the uniform civil code (UCC), stopping atrocities on the women in the State and implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas. The Congress workers assembled at Dilaram Chowk from where they started their protest march. The police stopped the workers from moving forward near Hathibadkala.
In her address, the president of Mahila Congress Jyoti Rautela said that the State government has failed to fulfil its promise of providing a government which is free from fear and corruption. She said that in last three years, the number of cases of rape and crime against women and minors has increased.
Rautela said that the name of the VIP involved in the Ankita Bhandari murder case is still not disclosed in three years. The BJP government maintained a stoic silence on murders of Ankita Bhandari, Hema Negi and Pinki and Bahadrabad rape and murder cases.
She said that BJP leaders Mukesh Bora, Bhagwant Singh Bora and Shiv Gangwar were involved in separate cases of crime against women in Nainital, Almora and Udham Singh Nagar respectively. The Congress leader said that the BJP government is providing protection to the rapists and corrupt.
Rautela said that an atmosphere of fear prevails in the State and women are finding them unsafe.
She said that Uttarakhand is known for its religious, cultural and traditional values and the society here is based on values of Sanatan Dharma. Rautela said that provision of live-in relationship in the UCC is against the culture and values of the State and it should be immediately struck down from the UCC.
The Congress workers also sent a memorandum to the President of India mentioning their demands.
