The Bihar unit of All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) organised an agitated and impressing rally on 30th May consisting of large number of women demanding to rein in the growing incidents of victimisation and rapes of women in the State. Despite scorching sun women came in thousands from various corners of Bihar to participate in the rally. Stopped by police barricades, and told that the CM would not meet them, the rallyists held a spirited protest meeting. The march was led by AIPWA National Secretary Meena Tiwary, State President and Secretary Saroj Chaube and Shashi Yadav and others.

Addressing the mass meeting the speakers said that the projects for women’s empowerment in Bihar have proved to be damp squibs. They expressed deep resentment and anger at the rising graph of assaults on women’s life and cases of rape, saying that even women’s dignity is not guaranteed in the State. Among the main demands put before the CM in a memorandum are: holding the administration and police accountable for the incidents of victimisation and rape of women, increasing the number of primary schools for girls’ education, stopping distribution of licenses to liquor shops in the name of excise tax collection, declaring Asha and Aanganbadi workers as govt. employees and fixing a minimum of Rs.5000/- for the Asha workers. On the occasion AIPWA also released a booklet titled “Women’s victimisation in Nitish rule – an open letter to Chief Minister: Governmental claims vs ground realities”.

Protest Against Witch-hunt of Women Students in Kolkata

Against the harassment of women students (activists of the Matangini Mahila Samiti) in Jadavpur on 7 June, AISA and Kolkata Nagarik Samonnay arranged a protest programme at Jadavpur on 8 June. The 5 women – Puja Bose, Jayita Das, Annesa Sarker, Deblina Chakroborty, and Somdutta Mukherjee – who were at the centre of the incident, participated in the protest. Puja described the incident, and Usha Chakroborty, their land lady, spoke in support of the women. AISA State Secretary Malay Tewary, Jayanta Sen from Bandimukti Committee, Basudev Bose from AICCTU, Amit Das Gupta from Kolkata Nagorik Samonnay and eminent intellectuals of Kolkata, like Arpita Ghosh, Manish Mitra, Panchu Roy, Dwaipayan Banerjee also addressed the gathering. More than two hundred people took part in the programme 