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March 28, 2014

Press Note Eng Dt: 28/03/2014 on Women in SRP

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Office of Shaktisinh Gohil

National Spokesperson, AICC   

 

   Press Note                                                                              28th March, 2014

  • BJP Lok Sabha candidate walks over children and BJP government in Gujarat issues orders that keep women away from their children.
  • It’s a crime to be a woman constable in Gujarat SRP.
  • Women constables in Gujarat SRP have to be on field duty only to maintain law and order.
  • Only males can be in headquarters as per the standing order.
  • In Gujarat situation of women constables is pitiable as there is no equal status to women constables.
  • Despite repeated representations, Chief Minister has no time for the problem of women constables.
  • Ultimately Gujarat High Court was approached on the issue and the Court issued notice to Gujarat government.

          BJP government in Gujarat has put women constables in the State Reserve Police in a very pitiable condition. Its Standing Order about work allotment in the SRP is inhuman and shows the gender bias of the BJP government against women workforce. Despite repeated representations to the administration and the Chief Minister, there has been neither response nor any kind of concern about it. Despite status of equality given by the Constitution, the SO spells the idea as if it is a crime to be a woman constable in the SRP. The SO and subsequent amendments in it make it clear that no woman constable should be posted in the HQs and even in the field duty, women constable should be given only law and order duty. No table work or any kind of soft assignment to women. This is an insult to women. They are provided soft assignments in HQ, but that is limited to couple of months during pregnancy after which they have to go back to hard field duty. There is no logic behind the government order that women must not be posted in the HQ.

          Supreme Court has issued Vishakha guidelines to ensure that women in job get a dignified status and work conditions, but the Standing Order of the SRP defies it. The order also makes it mandatory that there should be a male constable along with woman constable instead of having all female staff at a given point. In a way it’s a kind of exploitation and the Chief Minister who holds the Home Department also has shown no concern about it.

          SRP Headquarters has staff of 170, but there is no place for women constables. The first SO was issued 8-11-2011 which was amended in 2-5-2012 and 10-5-2013. Each amendment made rules for women constables more strict and inhuman. Though there are some provisions for women constables, but they are just on paper while the field duty condition is imposed vigorously.

          National spokesperson of Congress Shaktisinh Gohil said that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi boasts of good governance outside Gujarat, but ground reality here is totally opposite. Referring to a recent incident, he said Lok Sabha candidate walks on children of tender age and there are SOs which make work conditions of women constables inhuman. The issue was brought to the notice of the High Court which has also issued notice to the state government. This is just because the Chief Minister has no time for it.

          Infact, it is necessary that women get dignified working conditions. They should be posted in headquarters and when they are sent on field assignment there should be only women. After the field job they should be brought to the headquarters where they can have work which has some space for their family responsibilities.

          National Conference for women which met in Bhuvneshwar in September 2010 had made suggestions regarding work to women staff and it is the responsibility of the Gujarat government to follow these conditions. Congress has demanded that the discriminatory approach towards women staff should be removed.

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