Date: 15 July
Original Story: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-15/guwahati/32684323_1_molestation-assam-government-strict-vigil
Kangkan Kalita, TNN Jul 15, 2012, 12.11PM IST
GUWAHATI: Seeking urgent steps from the government to ensure safety of women in Assam, which is believed to be one of the safest places for women in the country, social organizations and women activists have demanded strict policing to stop atrocities on women in the state.
Condemning Monday’s incident of molestation of a 20-year-old girl on the busy GS Road in the Christianbasti area of the city, various organizations staged a dharna at Dighalipukhuri here on Saturday and demanded exemplary punishment for the culprits involved in the incident, which has shocked the entire country.
Hasina Kharbhih, the CEO of a leading NGO called Impulse Social Enterprises, has demanded strict vigil by police near public spaces frequented by people. “We want the Assam government to deploy adequate number of security personnel near public spaces like pubs, bars and discos. I think the girl who was molested on Monday is yet to attain the age which makes her eligible to enter a bar. So, the owners of such business establishments should check the age of youths before allowing them in. The licenses of the violators should be immediately cancelled,” said Kharbhih.
She also demanded rigorous punishment for the culprits involved in the molestation incident.
Monisha Behal, chairperson of North East Network, one of the organizations which called the protest meet on Saturday, said various social bodies and individuals from Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura have also expressed solidarity with them.
Expressing concern over the law and order scenario in the state, Sadau Asom Pragatisheel Nari Santha (SAPNS) has asked the Congress-led government in Assam to wake up for saving democracy in the state. “In a democratic society, men and women have equal rights. But the molestation of a girl in the heart of the city reveals how women are still dominated in our society,” said Junu Bora, vice-president of SAPNS.
