Raipur: The husbands of six newly-elected women panchayat members have taken oath instead of their wives in Paraswara panchayat of Chhattisgarh’s Kabirdham district, triggering an investigation by the administration.
Officials were alerted when videos of the all-male oath ceremony began popping up on social media. Janpad panchayat secretary Pranveer Singh Thakur has since been suspended.
This comes at a time when the Centre is on a mission to eliminate this trend of proxy leadership. Ahead of International Women’s Day, it has launched a first-of-its kind leadership programme for women representatives in panchayati raj institutions.
Ironically, Pandariya constituency, which covers Paraswara, is represented by a woman MLA, BJP’s Bhavna Bohra.
Paraswara, a village of 200-odd families in Pandariya block, is around 30km from the district headquarters and 150km north of Raipur. It has 12 wards, half of which are represented by women — Gayatri Bai Chandra Vansi, Sarita Sahu, Mirabai, Santoshi Chandra Vansi, Sarita Bai Chandra Vansi, and Vidya Bai.
On March 3, at the first meeting of the newly elected representatives, the women panch’s husbands took oath alongside the six men who won the election. They were administered oath by the panchayat secretary. When videos of this got out, it sparked outrage.
Thakur tried to explain to reporters that only the male representatives took oath on March 3, and that the women’s oath-taking would be conducted on March 6. Another official sought to explain that the women panchs could not take oath because they can’t read.
Kabirdham panchayat CEO Ajay Tripathi said that he got to know of the incident through social media and ordered the janpad CEO to investigate. “It’s a serious issue. Action will be taken on the basis of the investigation report,” said Tripathi.
Thakur’s explanation cut no ice, and Tripathi first showcaused him and then suspended him.
Local residents and social activists have condemned the incident, calling it an insult to women and a mockery of elections.
In most villages, unfortunately, it’s the practice that once a woman gets elected, her husband takes over her rights and runs the show. The practice of ‘panch-pati’ and ‘sarpanch-pati’ defeats the purpose of reserving seats for women. A committee set up by the panchayati raj ministry has recently recommended “exemplary penalties” for such cases of patriarchy.
