Don't campaign for Trinamool Congress: Activists to Anna

The letter mentions the gangrape incident of a taxi-driver in Madhyamgram in Howrah District in Decemberan

Activists associated with women's movements from different parts of India today wrote an open letter to social activist Anna Hazare expressing their disappointment over the Gandhian campaigning for the Trinamool Congress Party in the upcoming Loksabha elections.

"From small satyagrahas in Maharashtra to the huge mobilisations in Delhi, you have stressed on the need to cleanse Indian politics and expressed your anguish over the violence that women and young girls are subjected to.

"We are shocked that you have chosen to express support to and solidarity with the Chief Minister of West Bengal who, in three years, has transformed West Bengal from being the safest state for women to the most unsafe.

"It is not just the fact that the most barbaric forms of violence are being suffered by women and girls in the State but the fact that in many cases, leaders and activists of the ruling Party are involved and often the reaction of the Chief Minister has been insensitive, critical of the victim and not reflective of any intention of punishing the perpetrators," the letter claimed.

In the letter, the women organisations referred to the National Crimes Records Bureau's annual report 2012 according to which West Bengal, with 7.5% share of country's female population, has accounted for nearly 12.7% of total crime against women by reporting 30,942 cases during the year 2012.

"In cases of general crime and crimes against women, West Bengal registered an increase of 41.6 per cent in 2012 which is the highest in the country," the letter highlighted.

The letter mentions the gangrape incident of a taxi-driver in Madhyamgram in Howrah District in December.

"The complete negligence of the police and administration were responsible for this crime. In fact, the perpetrators were given protection by the police," the letter stated.