Punjab Congress leader Sunil Jakhar today sought intervention of Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki for justice to a Dalit woman, who he alleged was a victim of "police brutality" ..
In a memorandum submitted to the governor here, Jakhar claimed that on March 22 this year, Rajni, a government employee working as education provider, "was maltreated at her own home by police personnel, which resulted in miscarriage of her foetus".
"She was taken into police custody to prevent her from joining a protest against the non fulfilment of promises made by the Punjab Government," the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader said.
Alleging that perpetrators of heinous crimes and known terrorists are given "political patronage" and are roaming free on the streets of Punjab, Jakhar claimed police indulged in brutal and inhuman conduct causing grievous injury to Rajni when she and her colleagues were planning to protest peacefully for their salaries and regularisation of jobs.
"After lapse of more than three months and by assurance from none other than Chief Minister Punjab, the helpless dalit women and her family are yet to get any relief with respect to their demands and with regards to initiation of criminal proceedings against guilty police officers," he said in the memorandum.
"In fact attempt is being made to pass it as a natural medical complication to provide an alibi to guilty policemen," he said.
Jakhar sought the governor's intervention into this "gross miscarriage of justice and ensure criminal proceedings" against guilty policemen so that the issue is not lost in bureaucratic red-tapism.
"This incident in fact only highlights the wider insensitivity of Punjab government in crime towards women, which has manifested itself at various occasions, be it killing of helpless father of girl stalked by an Akali goon, or a molestation attempt proving fatal in Orbit bus incident at Moga, or day to day crimes against girls and women happening in rural and urban areas," he said.
The incumbent Punjab government has miserably failed to instill sense of security in women and "all their women emancipation or security programmes are sham," he said.
