National Commission for Women member Sushma Sahu said on Monday that a show-cause notice would be issued to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah if Home Minister G. Parameshwara failed to tender a “public apology” for his comments following allegations of women being molested during the New Year revelry in Bengaluru.
She was in the city to meet the Director-General and the Inspector-General of Police Om Prakash and city Police Commissioner Praveen Sood over numerous complaints and media reports of women being molested and sexually harassed since January 1.
The NCW had sent Dr. Parameshwara a notice after he had linked the incidents to “western mindset and dressing”.
“This is a childish and nonsensical statement. The dress women wear should not matter to the Minister whose duty is to protect women. He should issue a public apology for this,” Ms. Sahu told The Hindu .
The commission, however, would not meet the Home Minister. It would wait for a week to issue a show-cause notice to the Chief Minister.
During the meeting with top State police officials, Ms. Sahu took objection to the “shake up” and “transfers” within the city police on New Year’s Eve. “The law and order situation was expected to be a sensitive one, and yet the government went ahead with the transfers. The Police Commissioner and an Inspector-General of Police took charge on January 1. At midnight, no senior official oversaw security arrangements. This is a serious lapse, and we will send a notice to the State government demanding an explanation,” said Ms. Sahu.
While gathering information on the allegations as well as on the Kammanahalli incident where a woman was molested by two men on a two-wheeler, Ms. Sahu directed State police officials to send evidence collected, including raw CCTV footage, to the commission.
