SHILLONG, Jan 3 � In a spontaneous reaction, Meghalaya today joined the rest of India observing Bharat bandh demanding speedy trial in the Delhi gang-rape case and to make the State safer for women.
All the business establishments remained closed and there were only a few vehicles plying on the streets here in the State capital. With schools remaining closed for winter vacation, the streets remained almost empty.
Though government offices remained opened, the attendance was thin. The secretariat and other State and Central government offices functioned normally with a reduced staff strength, officials said.
Earlier in the day, some shops were open. But as the day wore on, these shops too downed their shutters. In some of the busiest commercial areas of the State capital, like Iewduh (Bara Bazaar) and Police Bazaar, all the shops remained closed right since the morning.
The Bharat bandh called by protesters against the Delhi gang-rape was supported by the Civil Society Women�s Organisation (CSWO). The organisation supported the bandh and also sent suggestions to the Justice JS Verma Commission, which would recommend ways to enact stricter laws against rape.
�Although it means a huge loss for me to keep my shop closed even for a day, but I too have a mother, wife and daughter and I am wary of their safety when I am away from home. So I support this bandh and want the Government do show some resolve and do something on the ground for safety of women,� a shopkeeper here said.
CSWO has been fighting for rape victims in the State and has demanded changes in the present police investigation and law in regard to rape cases.
Meghalaya in fact has a high incidence of rape cases and many have expressed their concern over the issue. A few days before the Delhi gang-rape incident, a similar gang-rape of a girl in Williamnagar has shocked the people.
