Mahila Panchayat calls for national protest on June 16 in support of women wrestlers

By Our Representive
A National Mahila Panchayat, held in Delhi with the participation of hundreds of women, has given a call of national protest on 16th June if the government fails to fulfill its promises to the struggling wrestlers.

The solidarity meeting demanded immediate arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexually harassing women wrestlers, even as seeking resignation of Union Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur for his "abject failure to take action in the cases of sexual harassment."
Also seeking prosecution of police officials under 166A IPC who failed to register FIRs and comply with the provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO), Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act (PoSH) and IPC, the panchayat sought a Supreme Court monitored probe into the cases of struggling wrestlers, "given the widespread reporting of intimidation of survivors, witnesses and their families."
It further insisted on action in all other cases of sports women who have been struggling for justice against sexual harassment at the workplace, including against former Haryana Sports Minister Sandeep Singh, "against whom a sexual harassment case has been pending since 2017."
Also demanding that the new President of the Wrestler’s Foundation of India be a woman, "as promised earlier by the Home Minister", the panchayat condemned the Sports Ministry and its officials "for criminal failure to implement the PoSH Act in more than half of the sports federations in the country."

At the same time, it noted, the Cabinet of ministers, including the Minister of Women and Child Development , "have stood as mute witnesses in the face of grave criminal violations", adding, there is "deafening silence of the statutory bodies meant for protection of women, children and human rights -- the National Commission for Women, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and National Human Rights Commission."
Attended by women sports persons and activists from Haryana, including Sakshi Malik’s mother, Sudhesh Malik, women’s rights activists from Rajasthan and Delhi, the gathering was marked by speeches about the struggles of the wrestlers in their fight for justice, affirmations of solidarity and togetherness in their "uphill battle".
The gathering also saw the participation of prominent women intellectuals and activists such as Zoya Hasan, Uma Chakravarti, Mridula Mukherjee, Syeda Hameed, Rajni Palriwal, Nandita Narain, Beena Pallical, Abhirami Jyothee, Anjali Bharadwaj, TK Rajlakshmi, Pamela Phillipose, Purwa Bhardwaj, Poonam Muttreja, Neeraj Malik, Swati Joshi, Bhasha Singh, Nivedita Menon and Arfa Khanam, among others.
---
Click here for the organisations behind the meet and the list of endorsements

Comments

King Corona and his descendents: How long will the Dynasty last?

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD* “Corona ” is in the media once again, precipitating a déjà-vu feeling and some amount of panic among the people. Among viruses and microorganisms King Corona and its descendents enjoy Royalty Status. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." This classic quote from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is well known. But does it hold well in current times? The events during the past five years challenge the Bard's view.

India’s 2021 excess deaths: was it the virus — or the containment frenzy?

By Bhaskaran Raman* Tyagu (name changed), a vegetable vendor recalls of his brother’s death in 2021. The victim had a normal fever, but was forcibly taken away to the hospital saying that it was Covid. He had been coerced into taking the Covid-19 “vaccines” by that time. After 10 days in hospital, he died. There was no proper information during his hospital stay, and no one was allowed to visit, saying that visitors could also get Covid.

Old bias, new excuses: How western media misrepresents India’s anti-terror strikes

By Gajanan Khergamker The recent Indian military strikes on Pakistan, dubbed Operation Sindoor, have sparked a storm of international media coverage. Several prominent outlets have portrayed India as the aggressor in the escalating conflict, raising concerns over biased reporting. This commentary critiques coverage by foreign media outlets such as The New York Times , Reuters, BBC, and CNN, which have often been accused of framing India’s actions as escalatory while downplaying or omitting critical context regarding Pakistan’s role in fostering terrorism. By examining historical patterns and current geopolitical dynamics, this analysis highlights the recurring selective framing, omission of evidence, and a tendency to favor narratives aligned with Western geopolitical interests over factual nuance.

जैविक जीवित संसाधनों व प्रकृति पर निर्भर मजदूरों की व्यापक आर्थिक सुरक्षा कैसे हो?

- राज कुमार सिन्हा* भारत में 60 करोड़ से अधिक लोग भूमि, जल, जंगल और समुद्र जैसे प्राकृतिक स्रोतों पर निर्भर हैं । देश में 14.6 करोड़ छोटे और सीमांत किसान, 14.4 करोड़ खेतिहर मजदूर ( बड़ी संख्या में दलित हैं), 27.5 करोड़ वन निवासी, 2.8 करोड़ मछुआरे, 1.3 करोड़ पशुपालक और 1.7 करोड़ कारीगर हैं जो सीधे तौर पर प्रकृति के साथ और प्रकृति के भरोसे काम कर रहे हैं । लगभग 6 करोड़ मौसमी मजदूर हैं जो काम के सिलसिले में लगातार अपने गांव से बाहर जाते हैं और लौटते हैं। प्रकृति निर्भर समुदायों की आर्थिक गतिविधियां जो बड़े पैमाने पर जीवन निर्वाह और छोटी आय के लिए है। वर्तमान आर्थिक नीतियों के कारण, जो कॉर्पोरेट्स और बड़े व्यवसायों का समर्थन करती है, प्रकृति निर्भर समुदाय के लिए अव्यवहारिक होती जा रही है।

राजस्थान, मध्यप्रदेश, पश्चिम बंगाल, झारखंड और केरल फिसड्डी: जल जीवन मिशन के लक्ष्य को पाने समन्वित प्रयास जरूरी

- राज कुमार सिन्हा* जल संसाधन से जुड़ी स्थायी समिति ने वर्तमान लोकसभा सत्र में पेश रिपोर्ट में बताया है कि "नल से जल" मिशन में राजस्थान, मध्यप्रदेश, पश्चिम बंगाल, झारखंड और केरल फिसड्डी साबित हुए हैं। जबकि देश के 11 राज्यों में शत-प्रतिशत ग्रामीणों को नल से जल आपूर्ति शुरू कर दी गई है। रिपोर्ट में समिति ने केंद्र सरकार को सिफारिश की है कि मिशन पुरा करने में राज्य सरकारों की समस्याओं पर गौर किया जाए।

The WHO Pandemic Agreement: Why India should reconsider its stance

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD* For more than the past three years, the WHO has been trying its best to push the Pandemic Treaty and amendments to the International Health Regulations in unholy haste, instead of conducting a proper appraisal of the impact of the measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic—a routine exercise after any pandemic to guide future strategies. This raises questions about whether the WHO, under China’s influence, is trying to conceal its acts of omission and commission during the pandemic, including obstructing investigations into the origins of SARS-CoV-2. The WHO recently faced a setback when the USA decided to cut all ties with the organization.

Crying air, water, and earth: A call to conserve our dying natural resources

By Dr. Gurinder Kaur* Air, water, and earth—these natural resources are essential for the survival of all living beings, including humans, animals, and plants. Life in any form is impossible without them. These are precious gifts of nature to humankind. However, in the pursuit of economic growth, modern humans have severely polluted these valuable resources in an attempt to satisfy their greed.

Environmental report raises alarm: Sabarmati one of four rivers with nonylphenol contamination

By Rajiv Shah A new report by Toxics Link , an Indian environmental research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi, in collaboration with the Environmental Defense Fund , a global non-profit headquartered in New York, has raised the alarm that Sabarmati is one of five rivers across India found to contain unacceptable levels of nonylphenol (NP), a chemical linked to "exposure to carcinogenic outcomes, including prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women."

21-day security operation targets Maoist presence, prompts questions on civil impact

By Harsh Thakor* Union Home Minister Amit Shah has described a recent counter-insurgency operation along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border as a significant achievement for Indian security forces in their efforts against Maoist groups. The three-week-long operation in the Karreguttalu Hills reportedly resulted in the deaths of 31 individuals identified as members of Maoist formations.

Search This Blog