Students stage demo, seek protection for women

Hundreds of students under the aegis of Janawadi Mahila Sanghatane and Students’ Federation of India staged a demonstration in the town on Monday to protest against the increasing sexual assaults on women and the “failure” of the Union and the State governments to provide protection to women and girl students.

After boycotting the classes, students took out a procession and formed a human chain in front of the KSRTC bus stand. They raised slogans against the Union and the State governments.

Students from National Pre-University College, Government Pre-University College for Girls, Government Pre-University College for Boys and Varadadri College took part in the protest. Following the demonstration, traffic was disrupted for some time near the bus stand. Protesters submitted a memorandum, addressed to President Pranab Mukherjee, to tahasildar T N Krishnamurthy, seeking protection for women and girl students.

Addressing the protesters, Chikkaballapur Zilla Panchayat member B Savithramma said that during 2012, as many as 48 cases of dowry harassment, three dowry deaths, 60 cases of sexual abuse/rape, 20 cases of kidnapping and a case of honour killing were reported from Chikkaballapur district.

Although women occupied a respectable position in Indian democracy, of late the safety of women was at risk. Governments should take steps to ensure them adequate safety and security, she said.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary M P Munivenkatappa, Zilla Panchayat member Narayanamma, Taluk Panchayat member Shobha Rani and others were present.