WOMEN – 2011 - Indian Social Institute

clips of her. However, Vishwantranand defended himself saying he married the girl, a claim which was
rubbished by the student, police said, adding that the occultist admitted that he made sexual relations
with other women who visited him for tantrik treatment. An FIR has been registered in this regard and
further probe is on, the official said. (Deccan Herald, 18/05/2011)
‘Sex-for-marks’: Report confirms scandal, MP govt promises action
The Madhya Pradesh government has accepted all recommendations made by a committee that probed
the ‘sex-for-marks’ scandal in Jabalpur’s NSCB Medical College. A First Year student had blown the lid
off the scandal in February this year when she alleged that her senior and hostel-mate had asked her to
sleep with certain persons if she wanted to clear the subjects in which she had failed. A committee
headed by former vice-chancellor of Rewa University Prof A D N Vajpai submitted its report to Chief
Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday. Chouhan called a meeting of senior officials on Monday and
said strict action would be taken against officers, employees and teachers of the Jabalpur Medical
College who have been prima facie found involved in criminal activities. Their cases would be handed
over to the police for further investigation. The 46-page report filed by the committee has confirmed the
allegations levelled by Sandhu Arya, a First Year student who has since been transferred to Gwalior’s
Medical College to save her from possible victimisation. In the first action after the report was submitted,
the Finance Officer of Rani Durgavati University, to which the college is affiliated, has been transferred.
The report has found over a dozen persons guilty, including Examination Controller S S Rana, and
officials of the re-evaluation and confidential sections of the university. Failed students could clear the
examination by simply applying for re-evaluation. Irrespective of how they performed they were
guaranteed required marks to clear the papers. Arya had accused her senior Prerna Atwal of forcing her
to sleep with Raju Khan, a contractor and former student leader. Khan, also behind bars, had been given
a contract to build a hostel, and had been reportedly paid Rs 55 lakh for construction worth Rs 35 lakh.
The former student leader, once associated with NSUI, enjoyed much clout in the college and the
examination section of the university. The government has asked the Chief Technical Inspector of the
Public Works Department to probe the irregularities committed in construction works of the Jabalpur
University. Prof of Department of Ophthalmology Dr Meeta Shrivastava has already been suspended.
She will be served a chargesheet for being negligent in her duty as a warden. The state government has
requested the Governor, who is the Chancellor of universities, to immediately take disciplinary action
against the teachers, officers and employees named in the report. (IE, 18/05/2011)
Representation of women in Assembly declines
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee may be on her way to becoming the first woman Chief
Minister of West Bengal, but the number of women elected to the State Assembly has actually declined in
the recently concluded elections. There are only 34 women who have been elected to the Assembly in
these polls, a little over one-tenth of the total strength of the House. Their numbers have declined from
the 37 women who were elected in 2006. The number has declined despite an increase in the number of
candidates from 139 in 2006 to 175 in these polls. The number of women MLAs elected in 2001 was 28
out of a total 114 women who contested. Ms. Banerjee's party itself accounts for most of the women
elected in the current polls. Of the 184 Trinamool MLAs, 24 are women. National Award-winning actress
Debasree Roy, who defeated Communist Party of India (Marxist) heavyweight Kanti Ganguly; Sonali
Guha, who has been elected on a Trinamool ticket for the third time; and Phiroza Bibi, who lost her son in
the police firings at Nandigram are among those who have been elected. Among the Trinamool's women
MLAs are Shashi Panja, Shikha Chowdhury (Mitra) and Smita Bakshi — all of whom are related to
prominent leaders of the party. All of them, along with Mala Saha, have been elected from constituencies
within Kolkata. Indeed, Kolkata is the only centre in the State where there is a semblance of gender
equality, with four women among the total 11 MLAs from the city. The Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Uttar
Dinajpur, Howrah and Birbhum districts have not elected a single woman. The Congress and the Left,
among the most vociferous supporters for the Women Reservation Bill, together account for 10 women
MLAs in West Bengal. Only four of the 42 Congress MLAs are women. (Hindu, 19/05/2011)
Dowry claims another woman’s life in Najafgarh
In another incident of dowry killing, a newly-wed woman was allegedly tortured to death by her husband
and in-laws in south-west Delhi’s Najafgarh on Monday. The deceased woman has been identified as
Meenakshi Sherawat (23) who was married to Ajay Sherawat (31) around nine months ago, according to