By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 31 Aug: The Dehradun Citizens Forum (DCF), hundreds of city residents and dozens of organisations gathered outside Gandhi Park here today to stage a protest. During the demonstration, the DCF informed that a 12-point memorandum focused on women’s safety would be submitted to the President, Prime Minister, Governor, Chief Minister, and Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand.
The DCF had announced a Solidarity Gathering outside Gandhi Park concerning women’s safety, inviting various organisations to participate. In the evening, hundreds of city residents and members of various organizations assembled outside Gandhi Park to demand better protection for women. The protestors voiced their opposition to incidents such as the gang rape of a minor at ISBT Dehradun, the murder of a nurse in Rudrapur, the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, and the case of Ankita Bhandari.
Speakers at the event expressed concern over the lack of security for women and demanded that the government ensure their safety. They pointed out that while arresting criminals is essential, the real question is why such incidents involving women are happening in the first place, and why women’s safety is not guaranteed in public places like ISBT.
During the protest, the details of the 12-point memorandum were shared. The memorandum emphasised that the Constitution of India guarantees freedom to every citizen, including women. Women have been equal participants in the country’s development, and compromising on their safety is not an option under any circumstances. Therefore, there is a need to create a fear-free environment for all citizens, including women.
The memorandum called for swift justice in the Uttarakhand and Kolkata cases and urged quick punishment for those guilty in the Ankita Bhandari case. It also demanded fast-track trials in rape cases, awareness sessions at the middle school level, gender sensitivity workshops for government agencies and police personnel, increased night patrolling by police in Dehradun, clean and safe public toilets for women, the use of CCTV technology, improved street lighting, prevention of sexual harassment at the workplace, collaboration with civic organizations on these issues, and a crackdown on the rising hooliganism and unchecked proliferation of liquor shops and pub culture in Dehradun.
The event was conducted by social activist and former bank union leader Jagmohan Mehandiratta. Ramindri Mandriyal, Asha Dobhal, Sargam Mehra, Jaya Singh, Kamla Pant, Ranjona Banerjee, Lokesh Ohri, Pradeep Kukreti, Ashish Garg, Brig (Retd) KG Behl (Retd), Naveen Sadana and others shared their thoughts on women’s safety. The students of Aasra Trust performed a play, while Dr Atul Sharma and Trilochan Bhatt raised awareness about women’s safety through folk songs, and Sushma Verma did so through poetry. Anoop Nautiyal read out the petition.
The demonstration saw participation from various organisations, including DHAD, Mahila Manch, Citizens for Green Doon, Friends of Doon, Eco Group, MAD, SDC Foundation and Been There Doon That.
