Lathicharge, suppression, humiliation of women employees intolerable
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Seeking initiation of punitive action against the officers responsible for brutal Lathicharge on Female Multi Purpose Health Workers (FMPHWs) in Kathua yesterday, Harsh Dev Singh, Chairman JKNPP and former Minister, said that the episode had given the most obnoxious blow to the often parroted slogan of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ being sold by BJP leaders across the nation with big splash. He said that it was unheard in any democratic set up that female employees were so assaulted, cane charged, humiliated and arrested for seeking the release of their hard earned pending salaries.
Strongly condemning the BJP ministers in whose function, the most shockingly abominable episode took place, Singh said that their conduct deserved mourning and not mere condemnation.
He was addressing a press conference, here on Sunday.
Harsh said that it was ironical that FMPHWs were so humiliated, heckled, tortured, with some of them getting hospitalised, in a BJP partnered government which had been giving tall slogans of saving the girl child and restoring the dignity of women. And most obnoxious aspect of the whole episode was the maltreatment of such female employees during a function attended by the CM along with the top brass of BJP leadership, regretted Singh.
Lamenting that the daughters of Jammu were suffering the most inhuman and contemptuous treatment at the hands of the incumbent government, Singh said that other categories of female employees were also bearing the brunt of the govt.’s apathy and indifference.
He said that non release of pending wages to Anganwari and ASHA workers besides their other demands had also forced them to take to roads with none to take cognisance of their persistent Dharnas and demonstrations. Similar was the plight of NHM employees posted as ANMs, staff nurses, etc with no takers for their genuine grievances. Pointing towards the pathetic plight of female contractual lecturers sitting on hunger strike for the last around four months seeking their regularisation, Singh said that it was an eye opener for the country especially the champions of women rights as several female lecturers had to be repeatedly hospitalised. In their case also, a deaf and dumb government headed by a woman Chief Minister, failed to even acknowledge their struggle or to pay a visit to the protest site of such lecturers who were sitting 24×7 on relay fast in sun and rain at the cost of their life and health.
Seeking immediate action against erring authorities, Singh said that the assault on FMPHWs was infact an attack on the pride and dignity of Jammu and would be vociferously countered.
Prominent among those who were present in the press conference included Gagan Pratap Singh General Secretary Young Panthers and Rajesh Kharka.
