Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau.
A wave of anger swept through US Nagar district headquarters, Rudrapur as hundreds of Congress workers, led by Jyoti Rautela, the regional president of Congress Mahila Morcha, staged a protest outside the SSP office on Tuesday. The demonstration was sparked by a series of rape and murder cases in Uttarakhand, which have created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among women.
The protesters, both men and women, marched towards the SSP office on Nainital highway, demanding justice for the victims and accountability from the authorities. In anticipation of the protest, the police had set up three layers of barricades around the office, tying ropes to prevent any unauthorized entry. Despite these measures, the Congress workers managed to break through the barricades, leading to a heated confrontation with the police.
As the situation escalated, tensions flared between the protesters and the police. Several Congress women climbed the barricades, attempting to breach the security cordon. The women police officers on duty struggled to control the situation but were ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the protestors from advancing. Amidst the chaos, Jyoti Rautela, while trying to cross the barricade, fainted due to the strain. She was quickly attended to by fellow protestors and taken to a shaded area to recover.
The protestors voiced their concerns over the rising crimes against women in Uttarakhand, particularly highlighting the cases of Ankita Bhandari and a nurse from Rudrapur, both of whom were brutally raped and murdered. “The safety of women is being compromised under the current government. From Dehradun to Rudrapur, such incidents have become alarmingly frequent. The BJP government claims to protect women with their ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ slogan, but the reality is starkly different,” said Jyoti Gairola, State President of the Congress Women Front.
In response to the protest, SSP Manjunath TC said that the police are taking the nurse rape-murder case, as well as other recent incidents, very seriously. “We are committed to ensuring that the culprits are brought to justice and will take all necessary actions to ensure the safety of women in the district,” he added.
The protest concluded with the Congress workers demanding swift action and stricter law enforcement to curb the rising tide of crimes against women in the state.
