Patna: Leaders of Left parties on Friday demanded the resignation of chief minister Nitish Kumar alleging failure in putting a check on sexual abuse of girl inmates who were subjected to rape and torture in shelter homes funded by the state government while terming the actions taken as grossly inadequate for providing justice.
The joint statement of the state secretaries said: "After the Supreme Court rapped the Bihar government on the rapes of 34 inmates, chief minister Nitish Kumar should resign as the responsibility of preventing such incidents lies on the government."
Addressing a joint news meet of Left parties comprising CPI, CPM and CPI-ML, Awadhesh Kumar, the CPM state secretary, described social welfare minister Manju Verma's resignation as only a "sew up exercise" in order to shield a larger wound. "The actions taken are grossly inadequate. We demand the resignation of all ministers whose names have cropped up in the case, to ensure justice to victims," he said.
"The state government provides crores of rupees annually to NGOs in order to run shelter homes but the horrific crimes happened in such facilities went unchecked because of strong links with politicians and bureaucrats. The government should convince the public after catching big fishes involved in such crimes," Awadhesh said.
"The TISS report after completing a social audit last year highlighted anomalies at 17 state funded shelter homes. Why the CBI enquiry going on only in Muzaffarpur irrespective of that it is happening in all shelter homes running through NGOs in the state," CPI-ML State Secretary Kunal asked. Adding that "After the death of two girl inmates in a shelter home in Patna we demand a high court or supreme court led enquiry in all 110 shelter homes running in Bihar along with the demand of action taken report should be made public," said Kunal State Secretary CPI-ML.
However Manisha Dayal and Chirantan Kumar the treasurer and secretary of Aasra shelter home, a facility for women with mental disabilities in Rajiv Nagar area in Patna had been arrested in connection with the mysterious death of two girl inmates living in the state government run facility (Aasra) for women with mental disabilities. Meanwhile Brajesh Thakur the proprietor Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samit that ran Balika Grih in Muzaffarpur where 34 girl inmates had been raped and tortured had been in police custody after the incident came into light.
The left party leaders said that a human chain would be formed in all district headquarters in the state on August 28 highlighting Bihar government failures in protecting the girl inmates of shelter homes and to express solidarity with the victims of the sexual assaults.
While responding to a query on simultaneous polls, Satya Narayan Singh state secretary CPI accompanied by Kunal CPI-ML state secretary and CPM State Secretary Awadhesh Kumar said "We jointly oppose the move of clubbing parliamentary and assembly elections together. The move would undermine the principle of federalism and political pluralism envisaged by the makers of our constitution".
"The joint polls would be overwhelmed by national issues at the expense of regional or local issues leading to single party rule in the country as multi party democracy which put a check on centralized rule by allowing citizens to chose different governments at centre and states based on state level and national level issues would be in peril" .
The CPI state secretary Satya Narayan Singh said "The proprietors of shelter homes have strong links in power circles and in bureaucracy which helps them in bagging contracts from social welfare department to run such facilities. The state government's women empowerment rhetoric had been exposed after such incidents came into light. We will continue our protests till the justice ensured for victims".
