People's Democracy

  Attack On Anganwadi Worker Strongly Condemned 

The brutal attack made on Shakuntala Verma, an ICDS supervisor in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, in revenge against her intervention to prevent a child marriage, evoked shock and severe condemnation from various quarters, including the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH).

Following is the text of AIDWA statement issued on May 11

THE AIDWA expresses its shock and horror at the violent attack made on Shakuntala Verma, an ICDS supervisor in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh,  in revenge against her intervention to prevent a child marriage. The day after her intervention, those involved in promoting the crime of child marriage forcibly entered her home and cut off her hand. While the most stringent punishment has to be accorded to the criminals, the fact is that it is a recent Madhya Pradesh government order which has directly made anganwadi employees the most vulnerable targets of those in favour of child marriage. In a perverted understanding of responsibilities, the MP government issued an atrocious order on May 7, 2005 that if there is any case of child marriage the anganwadi worker/supervisor of the area will be held responsible.

First of all this is not the job of an anganwadi worker, it is the job of the collector, the government officer, the police and most importantly elected representatives of the area including the BJP minister. Secondly, the worker has no status to counter powerful rural elites and castes who support child marriage and who are often given patronage by the ruling party. It is the vulnerability of the anganwadi employee which was so brutally exploited in the attack on Shakuntala. Shamefully, after the attack the government officials have tried to shield the culprits by spreading the lie that “the dispute” had nothing to do with child marriage. This is also a most cynical manouevre to escape responsibility of the government towards one of its own employees who was implementing the government order and who has to be fully compensated.

The AIDWA condemns the role of the Madhya Pradesh government. It demands the immediate withdrawal of the order responsible for the incident and also immediate arrest of the criminals. AIDWA is organising a protest demonstration in Bhopal tomorrow. It will also appeal to the National Human Rights Commission and the NCW to intervene in the matter.

CITU & AIFAWH CONDEMN ATTACK

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH) in a joint statement issued on May 12 condemned the brutal attack on Shakuntala Varma, an anganwadi worker (supervisor under ICDS project) in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, while she was deputed by the Sub Divisional Magistrate to look into a complaint of child marriage.

They demanded immediate arrest of the culprits and asked the state administration to ensure that all those responsible for the attempted child marriage and the assault are awarded the most deterrent punishment. Tracing the attack to a recent order issued by the  state administration making the anganwadi workers accountable for child marriages taking place within their areas of functioning, the organisations demanded immediate rescindment of the said order.

Noting that the obnoxious social evil of child marriages is deep rooted in rural India, particularly in the Hindi speaking regions, the organisations underlined that the rural elite has been patronising this practice. “In Madhya Pradesh we have witnessed a dubious situation where the chief minister and the ruling circles adopt a soft and permissive attitude towards such social evils but try to expose the women workers of the ICDS projects to such grave risks in what is termed as spreading social awareness to give up child marriages.”

The CITU and AIFAWH pointed out that this incident in Madhya Pradesh is not an isolated one and earlier also there had been instances of anganwadi workers being attacked even in connection with the pulse polio campaign. “The administrative machinery in the states should ensure adequate protection to the anganwadi workers. Also, it is essential that the HRD ministry at the centre evolve uniform norms and procedures in connection with the workers under the ICDS being entrusted with such additional assignments at the discretion of the governments in the states”, they asserted.