A visit to the Women's Commission office in Bhopal reveals a grim picture
The Madhya Pradesh State Women's Commission, established to protect and empower women, has been left in a state of disarray, with more than 50,000 complaints pending and no one to hear them. The Commission, which has been defunct for years, has become a symbol of administrative neglect in the state.
A visit to the Women's Commission office in Bhopal reveals a grim picture. In the parking lot stand vehicles covered in dust, marking the inactivity that has plagued the commission for years. Inside, piles of files are scattered everywhere, a few even hanging on the nameplate outside the chairperson's room -- a room that has seen no occupant for years.
Since 2020, the commission has had no benches, no staff and no chairperson to address the grievances of women across the state. The previous chairperson, Shobha Ojha, was appointed by former Chief Minister Kamal Nath just before his government collapsed.
Her appointment, along with those of other members was cancelled by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, which held them unconstitutional. The commission has since been non-functional, leaving thousands of women without a voice.
"When I took charge, there were 12,000 cases pending. The court gave us the right to work, but the BJP government locked us out, preventing us from doing our duty. Women are being tortured, and their right to justice has been taken away," said Shobha Ojha, a Congress leader and former chairperson of the commission.
The commission typically receives an average of 3,000 complaints every year. With no one to address these grievances, the number of pending cases has ballooned.
Women across Madhya Pradesh are suffering in silence, with no recourse to justice. Every day, 28 women and three girls go missing in the state. Between July 2021 and May 31 this year, 28,857 women and 2,944 girls were reported missing.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Madhya Pradesh ranks fifth in the country for crimes against women, with 32,765 FIRs registered in the state.
The situation has sparked outrage among activists and legal experts. "If cases are listed now, it will take seven more years to resolve them. The state must take immediate action to address this backlog and ensure justice for these women," said Sapna Sisodia, an advocate.
Shilpa Kaurav, the in-charge of the Mahila Police Station in Bhopal, has brought to light the significant challenges faced by women seeking justice in Madhya Pradesh. In a candid conversation, she highlighted the difficulties that arise when cases involving women's rights and safety are delayed or mishandled due to the inactivity of the Women's Commission.
Ms Kaurav explained that when a complaint is lodged with the State Women's Commission or even at the national level, the commission often requests reports from the police after conducting their investigation. "Yes, sometimes cases come to us where, if a complaint has been made in the State Women's Commission or even at the national level, they ask for a report from us after the investigation, or they also ask us for information to understand what action is being taken or not," she said.
Despite the mounting crisis, the state government has offered little reassurance. "Whatever the system is, it will be restructured according to the needs. The system will be made soon," said Jagdish Devda, Deputy Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, offering a vague promise of future action.
The Madhya Pradesh State Women's Commission was formed in 1998 with the mandate to safeguard women's rights and interests. The Commission has seven members—six non-governmental and one governmental—who hold ministerial status. However, with more than 50,000 complaints now packed away in dusty files, the Commission's very purpose is being questioned.