Women still ‘second-grade’ citizens in India, say activists

March 5, 2015

New Delhi, Mar 5: Despite several success stories, Indian women continue to be bogged down by the dual problems of violence and denial of access to resources, remaining largely deprived of the coveted status of "equality", activists say.

Women grade

Some of these activists feel that women in the country remain "second-grade" citizens who have made little progress despite constitutional guarantees of equality.

Apart from brutal crimes like the horrific December 16 gang-rape of a young woman in 2012, women face some kind of violence every day of their lives in India.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, a staggering 309,546 crimes against women were reported in 2013, which included 33,707 rapes and 5,188 cases of kidnapping and abduction.

"Whether it is the declining child-sex ratio or increased incidents of rape and domestic violence, Indian women are facing the brunt of violence unleashed by a patriarchal society which has refused to attune itself to changing times," Shonali Khan, CEO of NGO Breakthrough, which works on women issues said.

"Indian women today are both looking forward and backward. We might have had women presidents, prime ministers and top corporate honchos, but as far as the masses are concerned, their lot remains the same," she said.

Khan singled out violence against women as the biggest factor holding them back."Rape, domestic violence, female foeticide...are all forms of violence unleashed against women," she said.

Renu Mishra, a woman's rights activist and lawyer based in Lucknow said: "There has been a change in women's status, but the change has not been in accordance with the rights enshrined for us in the constitution."

She contended that "women in India have remained second-grade citizens", adding: "Though women are more visible, there is no equality."

All activists singled out gender-based sex selection as a manifestation of all that is fundamentally wrong with Indian society when it comes to women.

Said Mishra: "Without a change in the mindset of a patriarchal society, where dowry is very much in vogue, we as a country have veered towards liberalisation. This is providing people with increased access to technology."

As per census 2011, the child-sex ratio has shown a decline from 927 females per 1,000 males in 2001 to 918 females per 1,000 males in 2011.

Rakhi Badhwar, an activist who works with Jaipur's Centre for Advocacy and Research, told IANS: "The first issue which we have to discuss is the declining sex-ratio. If they (the girls) can't survive, then the other issues come much later."

Asha Ramesh, a women's rights activist based in Bangalore, said though there is enough legislation, it is the mindset of people which is to blame.

"The incentives being given by the government for the girl child are very cosmetic in nature and do not address fundamental issues," Ramesh said.

Flagging rape as another manifestation of violence against women, she said violence like this has been increasing.

"This I will categorize as backlash violence. As women are getting more assertive, they are being meted out this kind of violence to stop them."

The activist said though the government has brought in enough legislation to address the issue, it is the mindset that has to change.

"More and more women joining the work force has made them a source of cheap labour," Ramesh said, adding that the end result of economic empowerment has been that women have got jobs in places like the garment industry, where there are not even enough toilets.

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), around 58 percent of female children in India go without any medical aid as against 31 percent of male children.

Incidence of disease morbidity based on deficiencies and infection are generally more for the female child.

The mortality percentage of females is always higher than that of males in both rural and urban areas.

Even the nutritional status of the children in Punjab, the richest Indian state, clearly indicates that only 20 percent of female children, against 40 percent of male children, could acquire normal nutritional status.

Similarly 35 percent of female children have been found with moderate malnutrition as against 20 percent of the male children.

According to Shonali Khan, the only way to give women some power was to make resources available to them.

"Women should be given right to property and land. This will empower them and include them in the decision making process," she said.

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March 17,2024

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Bengaluru: The Vokkaliga heartland of the old Mysuru region consisting of several southern districts will be the testing ground for the recently forged BJP-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka in the Lok Sabha polls.

The ruling Congress will now look to consolidate its gains that it made in the assembly elections in May last year when it made inroads into the strongholds of the regional party headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda in these districts.

In the 2019 Pariamentary elections, the Congress and JD(S) fought together but secured only one seat each in the state. The BJP bagged 25 out of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats.

The Congress and JD(S) win, in fact, came in the old Mysuru region -- Bangalore Rural and Hassan, respectively, while Mandya seat went to an independent backed by the BJP.

This time, the JD(S) has an alliance with BJP. According to sources, the JD(S) is likely to be alloted Hassan, Mandya and Kolar seats in the region, from where Deve Gowda's party draws its strength from in Karnataka.

The JD(S) is now looking to bounce back after the drubbing it received in the May assembly polls.

The Congress and JD(S) are considered to be traditional rivals in the region, where the BJP has also been improving its vote-share.

The BJP-JD(S) alliance hopes to counter the Congress' surge in the region, determined to consolidate Vokkaliga votes in their favour and banking on the Modi charisma. Both parties also hope to gain from each other with this alliance.

The Congress is hoping to further its prospects and continue its dominance in the region, with the help of its strong local leadership and riding on its five guarantee schemes.

Both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress state President D K Shivakumar, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister come from this region, and so does JD(S) patriarch Deve Gowda and his son H D Kumaraswamy, a former CM and that party's state President.

According to a political analyst, 'coordination among local leaders and transfer of votes between the parties are going to be key for the BJP-JD(S) alliance to click.' Lack of trust between sizeable workers and leaders of both parties on the ground had proved to be counterproductive for Congress and JD(S) combine in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, resulting in their rout and helping the BJP.

Both Congress and BJP have announced candidates for some seats in the region for the 2024 polls.

The Congress has re-nominated D K Suresh, brother of Shivakumar, from Bangalore Rural.

Interestingly, the BJP has fielded the scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar from Mysore and noted cardiac surgeon and Deve Gowda's son-in-law, Dr C N Manjunath, from Bangalore Rural.

In Karnataka, the Lok Sabha elections will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7.

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News Network
March 26,2024

Bengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has detained two suspects in connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case in Bengaluru, sources confirmed on Tuesday.

The preliminary probe has revealed that the two suspects were in direct contact with the suspected bomber.

The NIA sleuths have picked up the suspects from an area in the state capital. However, a statement is yet to be made by the NIA in this regard.

Even as the investigating agencies, both NIA and state special wing CCB teams have launched an extensive search operation in various states, the bomber has remained elusive. The authorities had obtained the bomber’s images and videos from CCTV footage on March 1, soon after the incident.

Sources said that the sleuths were suspecting that the bomber had come from Tamil Nadu and was staying in a neighbouring state for two months before carrying out the blast.

The hair samples of the accused were gathered from the hat of the accused which he abandoned in Bengaluru near a religious place. The authorities have sent the samples for the DNA testing and were hoping for a breakthrough.

The Rameshwaram Cafe bomb blast took place on March 1 on the International Technology Park Limited (ITPL) road in the Brookfield area. Low intensity Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was used to carry out the blast and nine persons were injured in the incident.

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March 13,2024

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An LPG tanker overturned on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru National Highway 75 on Wednesday morning. 

According to police, the tanker overturned at a curve near Double Turn, on Shiradi Ghat road, in Sakleshpur taluk, as the driver lost control.

As there was LPG leakage due to the mishap, the authorities have closed the highway for vehicular movement, as a precautionary measure.

The Fire and Emergency Services personnel and police were rushed to the spot and taken precautionary measure to prevent any fire mishap.

Several vehicles have been stranded midway as the police have closed the road for traffic.

The police have been diverting vehicles plying between Bengaluru-Hassan-Mangaluru, Mangaluru-Hassan-Bengaluru on alternative routes.

According to Deputy Commissioner C Sathyabhama, the vehicular movement has been banned on NH-75, until Wednesday midnight.

The DC's order stated that the vehicle moving from Sakleshpur to Mangaluru will have to pass through Sakleshpur-Hanubalu-Mudigere to reach Mangaluru.

The vehicles from Bengaluru to Mangaluru will pass via Hassan-Bhuvanahalli Cross-Belur. The vehicles from Mangaluru to Bengaluru are diverted via Suliya-Sampaje route. 

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