The healthcare services were severely hit at almost all hospitals across West Bengal as doctors continued their ceasework on Wednesday, protesting the rape and murder of a woman doctor. Long queues were seen at ticket counters of outpatient departments (OPDs) of all government hospitals where senior doctors joined their junior counterparts to protest against the crime. "We have no new demand. We have seen that attempts have been made to provide a shield to a group of persons. Some people have tried to tamper with the evidence by starting construction work on the same floor of the RG Kar hospital where our sister was raped and murdered. We do not see any reason to stop our protest," an agitating doctor told PTI. The West Bengal Joint Platform of Doctors had called for a ceasework at the outpatient departments of all governmental and private hospitals in the state. Junior and senior doctors, interns and house staff were seen wearing blackbands on their arms and shouting slogans, ...
BJP MLA and leader of opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, led over 100 'victims' of post-poll violence to the Raj Bhavan on Sunday to meet Governor CV Ananda Bose. During the meeting, Adhikari briefed the Governor on incidents of violence against BJP party workers and urged him to ensure that central forces remain deployed in the state until Durga Puja, scheduled for early October. "I have informed the Governor that all four pillars of democracy in Bengal are affected. Ration cards of more than 5,000 people have been confiscated. Even cattle were taken away," Adhikari told reporters after the meeting. After individually listening to the alleged victims of post-poll violence, Bose assured them of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence in the state. At the meeting, the Governor said, "The Calcutta High Court has issued an order. They are surprised that the Governor is seemingly under house arrest, as those who were attacked could not meet him. We will ensure
Bihar's alcohol ban in 2016 prevented 24 lakh cases of daily and weekly consumption, and 21 lakh cases of intimate partner violence, according to new research published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal. The ban is also estimated to have prevented 18 lakh men in the state from becoming overweight or obese, it said. A team of researchers, including those from The International Food Policy Research Institute, Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division, US, analysed data from national and district level health and household surveys. "Strict alcohol regulation policies may yield significant population level health benefits for frequent drinkers and many victims of intimate partner violence," the authors wrote. In April 2016, the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act brought about a near complete halt on the manufacture, transport, sale, and consumption of alcohol throughout the state. The overnight launch and its strict enforcement made the ban an "attractive natural experim
Highlighting the two life terms awarded to the convicts, Soumya's mother has sought the top court's intervention
Amidst the lingering aftermath of ethnic conflicts, the women traders at Manipur's iconic 'Ima market' -- the only market in the world run entirely by women -- have expressed a deafening lack of enthusiasm towards the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Questioning the relevance of the electoral process amidst the ongoing turmoil, the women traders from various market associations, are contemplating a boycott of the polls with their major grievance being -- "the nation forgot Manipur". Nema Devi, a seasoned fish vendor at the market, reflects the sentiment shared by many, emphasising the absence of tangible change despite months of unrest. "Even 11 months after the violence, there has not been a resolution and no restoration of peace. We continue to live by the rule of taking one day at a time. Living in continuous fear and going ahead with our usual lives. "What will change with the elections? The nation, the government, everybody forgot Manipur," 52-year-old Devi, who has been running
The meteoric rise of Shajahan Sheikh from a modest background of a helper in a local transport company to becoming the so-called tiger' of Sandeshkhali is what Bollywood film scripts are made of. And so does his fall. Sheikh, a key accused in sexual assault and land grab in Sandeshkhali, was arrested in the early hours of Thursday after being on the run for 55 days that witnessed large-scale protests by women. He was remanded to 10 days of police custody by a local court. Following his arrest, the TMC also removed Sheikh from all party positions. The rise of Sheikh started towards the fag end of the erstwhile Left Front rule in Bengal. After spending a few years as a helper in passenger vehicle services from Sandeshkhali to Sarberia, he got into the fish business. "One of his maternal uncles was into pisciculture and Shajahan started helping him. After a few years and rapid development in business, they became No. 1 in the trade in Sandeshkhali area," a retired police officer, who
A delegation of the National Commission for Women (NCW) led by its chairperson Rekha Sharma is scheduled to visit unrest-hit Sandeshkhali on Monday. Last week two members of NCW had visited the area and submitted a report revealing a "troubling pattern of negligence and complicity" by the Bengal government and law enforcement officials. "We want to talk to the victims. We will then meet the West Bengal Governor and then President in New Delhi tomorrow. Even if one incident takes place then it is shameful," Sharma said. She alleged that the TMC government is "not allowing the state administration to cooperate" with central agencies. As the situation in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas, gradually returns to normalcy following a week of protests alleging TMC-led atrocities on villagers and sexual harassment of women, the police have been maintaining a strong vigil in the area. The TMC, however, dubbed the visit by NCW as politically motivated. "The NCW is quick to visit West Bengal
The BJP on Wednesday charged that 'jungle raj' prevailed in West Bengal and demanded resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after the state was rocked by protests and clashes over the claims of sexual harassment of women in the state's Sandeshkhali area. Addressing a press conference here, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia claimed there is "complete anarchy and lawlessness" in West Bengal under the TMC rule with Chief Minister Banerjee allegedly providing protection to her party goons who allegedly raped and exploited tribal women in Sandeshkhali. "There is jungle raj in West Bengal. Our sisters who belong to the scheduled tribes are being raped and assaulted by the TMC goons and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a mute spectator," he charged. Bhatia said it is clear to every citizen that the rule of law doesn't exist in West Bengal. "Rather it is the law of anarchic ruler Mamata Banerjee which prevails there," he said. Banerjee has no right to remain in the post and
Eleven years since the gut-wrenching Nirbhaya rape incident, the father of the victim said a lot has changed, but a lot has also remained the same when it comes to the police and prosecution system. He said that the Narendra Modi government may have taken the country to historic highs, but till now it has not been able to do anything special when it comes to women's safety and stopping cruelty against them. On the night of December 16, 2012, a 23-year-old physiotherapy trainee (name changed to Nirbhaya) was raped and mutilated by six men inside a moving bus in South Delhi and thrown outside. She died on December 29 at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore. On Saturday, 11 years after the incident, Nirbhaya's father paid a tearful tribute to his daughter in his village in Ballia district. "Eleven years after the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder, nothing has changed in the country and even today daughters and women are not safe," the man told PTI. "Changing the law won't change anythin
Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday announced it has withdrawn from the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan, saying it is "unable to proceed" with the fixture amid Taliban's growing restrictions on women and girls. Australia were slated to take on Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series as part of the ICC Super League in UAE in March. However, after "extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, including the Australian Government", the CA decided to abandon the fixture. "Cricket Australia has decided that it is unable to proceed at this time with the upcoming ICC Super League three-match Men's ODI series between Australia and Afghanistan scheduled for the UAE in March 2023," CA said in a statement. "This decision follows the recent announcement by the Taliban of further restrictions on women's and girls' education and employment opportunities and their ability to access parks and gyms. "CA is committed to supporting growing the game for women and men around the world, ...
Union minister Giriraj Singh on Friday launched a month long national campaign against gender-based discrimination, and stressed that the government is committed to end gender related violence. At an event held to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj minister also remotely inaugurated 160 gender resource centres across 13 states. Stressing on ending violence against women, Singh called upon the women not to tolerate violence, and expressed his government's commitment towards ending gender based discrimination. Modi government is committed to women empowerment just as it is dedicated to development. Under the Modi government women have been included in the Army as well, Singh said. The Minister also suggested that women should be provided martial arts training for self protection. On the occasion, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Niranjan Jyoti said the Sanatan' religion gave equal status
On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW), the United Nations in Afghanistan has called for concrete actions to end violence against women.
Almost half of women reported that they or a woman they knew experienced a form of violence since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic
On International Women's Day, civil rights organisations called for gender equality, violence-free life and renewed pledge to invest in women's leadership building in the post-pandemic world.
Married girl respondents in UP aged between 15-19 in 2015-16 experienced 3 per cent internet based harassment, which increased to 4.8 per cent in 2018-19
The local court here has framed murder and other charges against the MLA, his brother Atul and nine others in the case.
For the same period, Faridabad saw 543 rape and 337 murder cases being registered, while these figures for Sonipat were 229 and 448, respectively
Women with physical disabilities may find it more difficult to escape violence