Hyderabad: Students, activists, intellectuals, and working people from all over the city participated in a protest demonstration held at the People’s Plaza on the Necklace Road in Hyderabad on Monday, May 11, against the alleged sexual assault of a minor girl by Bandi Sai Bhagirath, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay.
The protest organised by Stree Mukti League, along with Disha Students’ Organization and Naujawan Bharat Sabha, featured a wide range of creative placards and posters in different languages.
Speaking on behalf of Stree Mukti League, student activist Bhargavi elaborated on the long history of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and their close aides being involved in crimes against women.
“From Kuldeep Singh Sengar to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Prajwal Revanna, what unfolded were not merely isolated incidents but the very products of the ‘Sanskar’ which BJP leaders keep talking about, and of Brahmanical ideology,” she said, noting that it is the state’s patronage which has been promoting these crimes against women.
Geetha, on behalf of Disha Students’ Organization, spoke about how, from filing the First Information Report (FIR), to adding charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the Telangana police has been delaying action, and has been trying to protect the son of the union minister.
“Even days after the assault was reported, the accused is roaming around freely,” she said, also criticisizing the “Godi Media” for indulging in victim blaming, rather than demanding action against the accused.
She questioned as to whose side the Congress-led Telangana government was on.
“Is it siding with the people of Telangana and fighting for the safety and security of women, or is it working hard to protect sexual offenders enjoying the patronage of the BJP? Why has Bhagirath not been arrested yet,” she sought to know.
Also ReadTelangana CM orders DGP to probe POCSO case against Bandi Sanjay’s son
On behalf of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha, activist Hina appealed to the youth and common people to build a revolutionary militant mass movement against patriarchy. She explained that it is the profit-centric system which perpetuates and benefits from patriarchy and other forms of social oppression.
“In this system, women have been reduced into mere commodities. The entertainment industry thrives from the objectification of women, and has a big role in de-humanising them,” she observed.
She called upon the youth to build an anti-patriarchy movement that also fights against fascism and aims to overthrow the capitalist system which lies at the root of patriarchy and other social oppressions.
The protest also featured poetry recitations, songs, pamphleteering, and speeches.
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