Husbands Acting on Behalf of Women Representatives

Women’s Commission terms it forgery

Nainital, July 2


Peeved over certain women representatives of public being represented by their husbands at various forums, the Uttarakhand Commission for Women is planning to write the state government to take immediate steps to check this practice and treat it on a par with forgery.

Vice-chairman of the commission Geeta Thakur said here today, “It is really a pity that we have pradhan pati, sarpanch pati and block pramukh pati (husbands of gram pradhans, sarpanches and block presidents) representing them in various meetings at the administrative level. There are instances that the husbands take decisions on their behalf. Such practices need to be stopped and the women public representatives need to understand that they are representing the public with certain powers entrusted. The husbands have no rights to use that power.”

Geeta said, “We are going to take up the matter with the state government at the earliest asking them to take measures to stop this practice which is nothing but forgery in a different form. If the husband goes ahead and signs at the place where his elected wife is supposed to do, it is obviously a case of forgery and needs to be dealt with in a similar manner.”

She further said the commission was going to take up issues concerning women of Uttarakhand with the National Commission for Women (NCW) at a meeting scheduled to be held on July 5. This is the first time that there would be an interface between the two institutions. “We want them to know that there is a need to set up stay homes for women who are victims of atrocities in the state. We will also be seeking budgetary provisions for making women aware of their legal and other rights. We also want to involve the aanganwadi workers in making women in the villages aware of things and also to help them report cases of rape and other atrocities to the police. We are also aiming to get the police officials to train these aanganwadi workers on how to help the victims reach them,” she added.

Referring to the recent tie up of the commission with the 108 EMRI

emergency health service which will help women facing atrocities or abuse get their complaints registered by dialling the number 108, Geeta divulged that a police personnel will accompany the ambulance to reach the victims.

She said in cases of rape or other atrocities, the women would not have to go to the police station but would get their complaints recorded while being transported and being given first aid inside the 108 ambulance.

“This will also help in checking cases where women at times try to register false complaints as she can always be confronted later with whatever she got recorded in the first instance,” she said. She added that at least 35

per cent of the complaints of dowry lodged by women across the state

were found to be false and the recording of their version through GPRS

would help check this. She said since the tie up with the 108 service, 84 women complainants had got their complaints lodged.She was very critical of the attitude of the police towards the women who are victim of various atrocities and seek legal redressal.

She accused the police of tampering with the complaints and evidence in several instances, besides helping the accused in various matters flee by the time a police team arrives to arrest him.