Tami Nadu Government urged to form monitoring panel for ladies hostels

Tamil Nadu unit of Communist Party of India (CPI-Marxist)  today urged the State Government to form a committee, comprising women representatives to regularly monitor ladies hostels and homes in the State in the wake of the abduction and rape of two minor girls at a hostel in Pollachi recently.

"Ladies hostels and homes should be regularly monitored. Representatives from Women's associations should be part of the monitoring committee", a party statement here said.

"Children who are staying in hostels that lack basic facilities should be taken care by the Government and those police officials who fail to take action on sexual harassment cases should be punished under Section 166 of Indian Penal Code", it said.

Responding to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's remarks that guidelines should be formed for running ladies hostels, the party asked, "what happened to guidelines that were there already? Why it was violated?

The statement was issued after the unit held its executive committee meeting here which was presided over by general secretary Prakash Karat.