Activists along with students of Jawaharlal Nehru University on Thursday staged a protest demanding action against the Chhattisgarh government for its alleged role in the botched up sterilisation case in the State.
The protest, which was held in front of Chhattisgarh Bhawan in Chanakyapuri, saw a large number of participants from organisations including the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA), All India Students’ Association (AISA), Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) and National Federation for Indian Women (NFIW). The protesters submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chhattisgarh Governor.
The memorandum read: “We demand to know why the Chhattisgarh government continues to protect the Health Minister despite him being culpable on many counts. Poisonous drugs were procured from a company that had been charged with producing sub-standard drugs two years ago. Also, 83 operations were conducted in a span of five hours and in insanitary conditions.”
The activists demanded action against the Chhattisgarh Health Minister and an independent inquiry into the Bilaspur deaths as well as family planning policies of the State.
AIWPA national secretary Kavita Krishnan said: “The Government is liable for what has happened in the State and they should take responsibility… We have also raised questions about the Centre’s policy of using sterilisation as a method of contraception. The Government should not decide when a woman wants to stop giving birth, it should be her individual choice.”
NFIW general secretary Annie Raja said: “The way the government conducted sterilisation camp, it looked like a sponsored thing. They used expired medicines from a company that was using poisonous drugs because one of the top ministers in the State has a stake in the company. This incident has exposed the nexus between the pharma companies and ministers.”
