People's Democracy

Women’s Orgn’s Submit Memo to President

A delegation of national women’s organisations, led by Brinda Karat, former MP and patron of AIDWA met the president of India regarding the Delhi Rape Case and submitted a memorandum on December 24. 

The memorandum urged the president to use his good offices to make the government accept and identify accountability at different levels for the increasing crimes against women.  In the context of the brutal gang rape of a young 23 year old woman in a moving bus in the capital, the question arises as to who is to be held responsible for the increasing crime graph against women and children in the capital of this country and what action is to be taken against them. The first question is justice for the victim through immediate filing of the case in court and to ensure the most stringent punishment to the criminals within the shortest time possible.

It urged the president to intervene to get the government to stop the brutal police actions, using of batons, tear gas shells and vigilance against the protesters on the by and large peaceful protests. The government should come out with concrete measures to secure women’s safety and well being in public places, it said.

The representatives of the national women’s organisations have deeply regretted that the statements from the prime minister and home minister have not addressed the issues in any comprehensive or holistic manner. There are immediate steps as also long term monitoring measures which require to be taken, they said and made the following suggestions:

(1) Action against top police officials in Delhi including the police commissioner who have willfully failed to implement the guidelines and directions set out for security in the capital for women decided earlier by the home ministry as also the violation of repeated assurances given to women’s organisations on these issues. There must be standard operating procedures for any crime against women which include immediate registration of FIR and a speedy time bound investigation and filing of case before the court. Any police official violating the standard operating procedures should be punished. Senior police officials must be mandated to monitor the security measures as well as implementation of standard operating procedures.

(2) There are several Bills pending with the government regarding sexual assault on women. The government has diluted the recommendations of women’s organisations on amendments to the IPC and CrPC in the draft placed before parliament. These included amendments for rape clauses, including marital rape, sexual harassment, stripping, stalking and other types of sexual assault. It is also suggested that the punishment be made more stringent, more certain, and the judicial processes time bound. At present the system creates and recreates injustices at every stage. This must be stopped.

(3) All pending cases of sexual assault, over one lakh at present, must be transferred to fast track courts.

(4) Punishment to those providing social and political protection to the accused.