Chandigarh, October 4:Bekhauf Azaadi along with Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA), Naujwan Bharat Sabha (NBS), PSU (Lalkaar), Students’ for Society (SFS), and Y4S organized a protest on 4th October 4, 2020 at Sector 17 Plaza where more than 200 people gathered to register their rage. The protest was organized against the brutal sexual and caste violence inflicted on 19 year old Manisha Valmiki in Hathras, UP and other recent cases.
Representative from Bekhauf Azaadi, Advocate Shailza emphasized how this case must not be looked only as an incident of gender violence but as a caste atrocity too. This incident has highlighted how caste dynamics are at play in our society and Dalit women become victims of such brutal exhibition of power of the upper caste and condemned the continued surveillance and harassment of the family members..
Aman of PSU (Lalkaar) traced the violence of women across history and stressed the need to idolize women fighting patriarchy on roads and struggling for their rights rather than the ‘devis’ of myths and legends.
Hassan from SFS said that the caste base violence intertwined with sexual oppression is not only limited to UP but entire India. Be it Punjab, Haryana, Kashmir, Chhattisgarh or North East, the state forces in the form of local village feudal lords, police and political ministers, it is rampant. The only solution to challenge this structure is to fight a united struggle with the economic and social demands of farmers, workers and women together. Only when women will take a lead in the struggles against this oppressive fascist state, will this state be toppled and properly challenged.
Yogindra Yadav was also present at the protest. The protest ended with a march amidst slogans against brahmanical patriarchy and Modi Yogi Government.