Mardana gang fights for women
SAVIOURS The 16-year-old outfit has 25,000 members
GORAKHPUR: On the lines of Bundelkhand’s Gulabi Gang, women in Gorakhpur have formed a ‘Mardana gang’ that fights for their rights and justice. With its 25,000 members aged between 20 and 50 years, the gang is active in different districts of Gorakhpur zone and has its own rules and regulations for settlement of various issues.
Besides settling hundreds of cases, wherein women were subjected to domestic violence, through dialogues, the gang is also known for taking on hooch traders and acting against those involved in eve teasing or har- assing women/girls. Such is the impact of this gang, that it has become a synonym of ‘terror’ for illicit hooch traders in the area as several such liquor units have been damaged by these women as part of their drive to prevent any possible hooch-related deaths.
Singesh Devi, who formed the gang in 2000, to fight for the interest of women told HT that she came up with the idea after she found serious lapses in the laws that dealt with preventing crime against women.
“So many years have passed since Independence yet women in the country are still subjected to violence. There is a sharp increase in crime against women. Police and law enforcement agencies have failed to check such atrocities against women hence we came up with the idea to safeguard their interests,” said Devi.
Schoolchildren and college girls are also recruited as women commandos. “Nearly 1,000 college and school girls have joined and agreed to supported us in us our drive,” she concluded.