CANDLE MARCH AT GARHWAL BHAWAN AND A MEETING TO DECIDE FUTURE COURSE OF ACTION TO SEEK JUSTICE FOR A FOUR YEAR OLD GIRL RAPED IN PANDAV NAGAR

Above Ajay Bisht, Suresh Nautiyal, Kusum Kandwal Bhatt, Roshni Chamoli, Mrs Negi, Prema Dhoni, Brijmohan Upreti, Vinod Bacheti and others

Various representatives of socio political organisations , writers, journalists, social activists, representatives of NGO and members of GHS under the auspices of the biggest representative organisation of Uttarakhand in Delhi Garhwal Hiteshini Sabha held a meeting at Garhwal Bhawan to elicit views from them on the recent most obnoxious incident of rape of a four year old girl at Pandav Nagar , New Delhi few days ago and how to pursue it legally and socially to reach to a logical conclusion in order to accord justice to the victimised girl in trauma and her traumatised parents.

This shameful incident had occured on Saturday at Pandav Nagar by the brother of the teacher of a tution centre where the toddler had gone for tution. The four year old fragile girl was raped, injured and was admitted in Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital from where the doctors recommended her to AIIMS calling the police registering the case under POSCO act, gruesome rape and other sections of IPC. The girl is still in critical condition.

The culprits in the case have been arrested and are behind bars. Good number of Delhi police personnel and paramilitary jawans are deputed in the area around the residential precincts of the victim fully barricaded and people’s movement restricted to maintain peace and law and order situation to avoid any untoward situation.

People from different parts of Delhi and NCR attended this important meeting and expressed their views.

Expressing his serious concern over this shameful incident having shaken our conscience from inside the advocate Sanjay Darmora offered his free legal service to fight and pursue this case to take it to its logical conclusion throwing light on the POSCO act in detail.

The academician and proprietor of Mayur Public School M.S.Rawat thanked the Garhwal Hiteshini Sabha for taking up this important issue on priority and convening this meeting.

He urged the GHS president to take the services of journalists involved in this cause and personally meet with memorandums the LG, Delhi police commissioner, NHRC and other quasi judicial bodies to exercise pressure on the police authorities.

The senior journalist Charu Tiwari said that all the social organisations, political representatives and activists should forget their personal differences and political affiliations and ideologies and come forward unitedly to take up this genuine cause and create a strong social momentum as well, apart from strengthening the legal aspect of the case.

The Secretary of Delhi BJP Vinod Bacheti while lauding the initiative of the Garhwal Hiteshini Sabha said that a deputation should immediately meet the DCP dealing with the case including the SHO and IO of the local police station to ensure that the legal aspect of the case becomes strong and the culprits penalised under the stringent sections of the law.

The president of Uttarakhand Lok Manch Brijmohan Upreti assured of his full cooperation urging one and all to give up their narrow political differences and come forward as a united force giving up their political affiliations and ideologies at least for the time being.

The senior journalist and activist Suresh Nautiyal cautioned the organisers of this meeting and those present to give up their narrow political considerations and ideological affiliations and instead of weakening such causes by bringing politics into it should be honest, impartial and transparent in taking this struggle forward to its logical conclusion.

Chandan Singh Gusain, renowned social activist said that one may be in any party or pursue their own political agenda but in such case they should give up politics, their political interest and narrow politics, then only will we be successful in creating pressure on the police administration.

Legal aspects of the case is very important and should be dealt with with immense precision said Chandan Gusain.

The renowned activist and chief of the Search my child foundation Kusum Kandwal Bhatt assured of her fullest cooperation in this struggle to ensure speedy justice to the traumatised family urging one and all to be united and committed in their fight against injustice to guarantee stringent punishment to the culprits.

Prema Dhoni said narrow political considerations should be given up and all should come forward with honesty and full dedication for the cause.

The president of Uttarakhand Journalists Forum and senior journalist cum activist Sunil Negi while citing the examples of Nirbhaya of Nazafgarh and Vasant Vihar including the case of Ankita Bhandari said that while the legal part of such cases are very important and should be dealt with immense care and precision , on socio political front too such issues should be taken forward by way of peaceful democratic movements and highlighting in media to exercise pressure on police and the governments.

The mobilization of people at the grass root is utmostly essential to raise the momentum in the case said Sunil Negi.

The cultural secretary of GHS Sanyogita Dhyani said that there is not need at present to give it a political colour or agitate on it.We should rather strengthen the legal aspect of the case minutely and with immense dexterity.

Majority of the speakers said that the victim should be called the daughter of India than confining her to be the daughter of Uttarakhand.

All of them demanded capital punishment to the culprits through fast track courts at the earliest.

The president of GARHWAL Hiteshini Sabha Ajay Bisht and general secretary Mangal Singh Negi constituted a legal committee to pursue the case through a fast track court and announced the committee.

The GHS president while thanking all, assured, that this movement will fully ensure justice to the victim of Pandav Nagar and her traumatised family by keeping it away from political affiliations and political mingling.

In the end all the participants held a silent candle march in the precincts of Garhwal Bhawan symbolic of expressing solidarity to the cause and the traumatised family including the victim seeking justice for them by granting severest of the punishment to the culprits of this shameful act.

SUNIL NEGI,PRESIDENT , UTTARAKHAND Journalists FORUM