Call for Decisive Fight Against Hate, Uttarakhand Insaniyat Manch and Uttarakhand Mahila Manch announce campaign;

Insulting Women Cannot Be Accepted Under Any Circumstances’: Nirmala Bisht

Dehradun: The Uttarakhand Insaniyat Manch and Uttarakhand Mahila Manch have announced that they will raise their voice against communal hatred and allegedly objectionable remarks targeting women. On Friday, representatives of both organisations visited Kargi Grant and met members of the Muslim community to understand the details of the recent incident.

During the meeting, it was decided that a delegation would meet the Dehradun SSP on Monday and demand an impartial investigation into the matter along with strict action against those found responsible.

Local residents told the delegation that attempts had allegedly been made in recent days to disturb the communal atmosphere in the area. They also alleged that a video released by a person identified as Lalit Sharma contained highly objectionable and insulting remarks against women.

The residents said that if Lalit Sharma had a personal dispute with any individual, the entire community should not have been targeted in connection with it. They further alleged that local people had only raised slogans to register their protest, but cases were subsequently registered against them on allegations of stone-pelting and misbehaviour with women.

Rejecting these allegations, the residents claimed that the videos available in connection with the incident do not show them engaging in stone-pelting or misbehaving with women. They demanded that the entire matter be investigated impartially and that the facts be established on the basis of available evidence.

The delegation met several local residents, including Mohd. Zia-ul-Ahmed, Sarwar, Tanveer, Imran Rana, Shah Nazar, Tauseef Khan and Danish, among others.

It was decided that the delegation would meet the SSP on Monday and seek a fair investigation and strict legal action in the matter.

The delegation comprised Prof. N. Raghavendra, Kamla Pant, Vimla Koli, Nirmala Bisht, Hariom Pali, Parmendra Singh Kakkar and Trilochan Bhatt.

‘Land Dispute Being Given a Communal Colour’

During the meeting, local residents also alleged that disputes related to land transactions were being given a Hindu-Muslim angle in an attempt to conceal the actual issues.

They further claimed that some members of the Muslim community were also in contact with Lalit Sharma and alleged that a communal atmosphere was being created over disputes connected with land-related business.

The residents alleged that objectionable remarks against the Muslim community had repeatedly been made by Lalit Sharma, but effective action had yet to be taken against him. They urged the police administration to examine the allegations impartially and take appropriate legal action.

Nirmala Bisht of the Uttarakhand Mahila Manch said that insulting women would not be tolerated under any circumstances. She said that in view of repeated controversial statements, the authorities should consider strict action, including measures such as externment from the district, if legally justified.

Kamla Pant alleged that Lalit Sharma had also made extremely offensive remarks concerning women and unborn children. She said the police should act firmly and impartially in such cases.

The two organisations said their objective was not to target any community but to oppose communal hatred and the alleged insult of women. The organisations said their further course of action would be decided after their meeting with the SSP on Monday.