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According to a fact-finding team, at least 50 attacks have been reported on women in the past 18 months
An organisation calling itself ‘Fearless Karnataka’ has been set up to fight violence against women in the state, in the name of “morality, culture and public decency”, following reports of a growing number of women in the city of Bangalore being attacked or assaulted. According to a fact-finding team comprising members of Vimochana, a non-government organisation, Alternative Law Firm, and the People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), at least 50 attacks have been reported on women in the past 18 months, with little or no action being taken against the perpetrators. The attacks (seven in the last 10 days) are being seen as a continuation of the Mangalore pub attacks of January 24, 2009, in which members of a local political outfit, the Sri Ram Sene, barged into a pub and beat up young women claiming they were violating “Indian values”. Incidents like this have brought many individuals and organisations together to pressure the government into stepping up security for women in Karnataka. Members of Fearless Karnataka submitted a memorandum to the Bangalore city commissioner of police urging him to take immediate action. The commissioner replied that though the streets of Bangalore were normally quite safe, people were advised to file police complaints immediately and take down the registration number of vehicles involved in any attacks. He told the protestors that complaints could be lodged at his office on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. A protest march has also been planned for March 7, to the office of Dr Ajay Kumar Singh, DGP and IGP, where members of the organisation will brief Singh on the recent attacks. The next day, the campaigners plan to take to the streets at night and occupy public spaces such as bus stands, shopping malls and theatres. The campaign, Take Back our Night, is being organised by the Blank Noise project and is an effort to urge the public to get involved and continue the protests until effective measures are taken to ensure women’s safety. A website, www.baware.in, has also been launched to provide up-to-date information on activities and events that are being organised by Alternative Law Forum, Blank Noise, and Vimochana. Source: The Hindu, March 3, 2009
www.ndtv.com, March 2, 2009
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