Cong to take out march to protest crimes against women in MP

The Congress in Madhya Pradesh will take out a march on April 5 to demand that the BJP government take steps to check the spurt in crimes against women in the state, a senior leader said today.

The 'nyay yatra' (march for justice) will be taken out from Udaipura area in Raisen district to Bhopal - covering a distance of about 100 km.

The Congress' decision to take out the march comes in the wake of the alleged suicide committed by a woman, whose parents claimed that she was married to the son of state Public Works Department (PWD) minister Rampal Singh.

The woman's family had also claimed that the minister's son was planning to marry a second time.

On March 22, a Congress delegation had met Governor Anandiben Patel and demanded registration of a case against Rampal Singh and his family members in connection with the woman's suicide.

Preeti Raghuvanshi (28), had allegedly committed suicide at her parents' house at Udaipura on March 16.

The minister later said that if his son had accepted Raghuvanshi as his wife, he too accepted her as his daughter- in-law.

However, the Congress delegation told the governor that had the minister accepted Raghuvanshi as his daughter-in- law, she would not have taken the extreme step.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly, Ajay Singh, said today that the yatra will be taken out on foot as well as on vehicles from Uadipura, where Raghuvanshi committed suicide.

"We want the minister to resign and his son Girjesh to be booked (in the suicide case). Even after so many days, the minister's son has not been booked," he told reporters here.

The police were dragging their feet in investigating the case, the Congress legislator alleged.

The marchers would reach Bhopal the next day (April 6) and stage a protest in the state capital, he said.

The yatra is primarily aimed at highlighting the crimes and atrocities being committed on women and girls in Madhya Pradesh, the LoP said.

"Women and girls are unsafe in the state," he claimed.

"Our voice is being stifled in the Legislative Assembly. So, we are going to come out on the streets on behalf of the state's people who are facing lot of hardships," the Congress leader said.

The Opposition party will take out more such marches in days to come to highlight the 'plight' of different sections of the society, he said.

"We will continue such protests till Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is ousted in the Assembly elections due later this year," he added.