New Delhi: Former National Commission for Women (NCW) member Shamina Shafiq on Saturday condemned the Mandya incident where a woman working in a gram panchayat was molested by a Janata Dal (Secular) leader. She called on the Centre and the state government to instill fear in the minds of people to prevent incidents of this kind in the future.
Shafiq also cornered the NDA regime, saying that even after introducing legislative acts for the protection of women at the workplace, the government has failed to exert fear among miscreants across the nation.
“I think it is fortunate that the incident was caught on camera, otherwise the woman would have been painted black and blue that she is making false allegations. And, this is what usually happens in such cases. This entire incident throws light on one very important aspect that even government employees aren’t safe at work places anymore,” Shafiq told ANI.
Gauging the seriousness of the incident, the former NCW member said the implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, which seeks to protect women from sexual harassment at their work place, is still a distant dream.
She asserted that neither government agencies nor private firms are serious as far as the execution of the act is concerned.
“Our tardy justice system has given enough liberty to these culprits to commit any crime and walk away easily without having to worry about its repercussions. Hence, the states as well as the central government need to strongly send out the message that a woman’s safety and her dignity are national priority, and such kinds of behaviour will not be accepted under any circumstances,” she further said.
Chandrahasa, the gram panchayat president of Kesturu in Mandya District was caught on camera attempting to rape a 32-year-old female attendant, who was working as a Group D employee in the panchayat for over six years.
It is reported that the incident occurred around 6 p.m.
When she returned for work the next morning, she told fellow employees who then confronted Chandrahasa, who reportedly claimed that he had only asked her to sweep the floor.
However, upon checking the CCTV footage of the office, they saw that Chandrahasa was attempting to drag the woman while she was attempting to free herself from his grip.
Within minutes of the pushing and pulling the woman, Chandrahasa lifts her and walks behind the camera.
After seeing the footage, the panchayat employees then thrashed him before handing him over to the police.
Meanwhile, the police have registered a case against the accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).(ANI)