LUCKNOW: Three days after a former BSP minister, his son and aides attacked the office and staff of AALI - Association For Advocacy and Legal Initiatives - the state commission for women has taken note of the incident. Chairperson Zarina Usmani has sought a status report on the issue besides pulling up the Lucknow police. Condemned the incident, Usmani has also sent a notice to senior superintendent of police and asked him to submit the status report by November 1.

AALI's office was ransacked while two of its female employees were allegedly assaulted and abducted by the former BSP minister and 40 aides on Sunday after the NGO supported his daughter in lodging an FIR against her brother for allegedly sexually harassing her for the past five years. The NGO lodged a named FIR against the minister, his wife and sons. On Monday too, the political family reportedly continued to pressurize the girl besides threatening and manhandling the activists.

Arundhati Dhuru of National Alliance for People's Movement added that the attack on AALI's office and staff should not be seen as a stray incident. "This is an attack on every single voice that is raised to safeguard the human rights of an individual," she said, questioning whether it was a crime to stand by a victim of incest.

The organisations blamed police inaction for the incorrigible attitude shown by the BSP leader and his family. "It has been more than two days since the FIR was lodged but the accused is yet to be arrested. Why has this leeway been given to him?" said Seema Mishra, chairman trustee AALI.

Roop Rekha Verma of Saajhi Duniya said that women's rights and cases related to their identity have never got the due attention. Senior police, administrative and government officials are yet to react to such an 'attack on democracy'. "There are PILs and 'suo moto cognizance' of trends like mosquito menace and traffic signals in the city but such brazen violation of a woman's rights shakes no one's conscience. This happens because the society is yet to acknowledge and accept women as equal individuals," she said.

