Declaring that enough is enough, President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said it is time for India to wake up to the perversion of crimes against women and counter the mindset that sees women as less powerful, less capable, and less intelligent.

Murmu further said that those who share such views then go further and see the female as an object. “We owe it to our daughters to remove the hurdles from their path of winning the freedom from fear,” Murmu said in a signed statement shared with news agency PTI.

Referring to the August 9 rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in West Bengal’s Kolkata, a dismayed and horrified President Murmu said what is even more depressing is that it is part of a series of crimes against women.

Murmu said no civilised society could allow daughters and sisters to be subjected to such atrocities. “The nation is bound to be outraged, and so am I,” she wrote.

The impactful and personalised piece, titled “Women’s Safety: Enough is Enough,” marks President Murmu’s first public expression of her stance on the tragic August 9 Kolkata incident, which has once again stirred the nation’s conscience and sparked widespread and ongoing protests.

In the midst of protests in Kolkata, President Murmu highlighted the concerning fact that criminals were free to commit offenses in other locations, even targeting young girls such as those in kindergarten.

Recalling a recent encounter with schoolchildren during Raksha Bandhan, Murmu shared their innocent inquiry about the likelihood of preventing future incidents akin to the tragic Nirbhaya case in Delhi back in December 2012.

She reflected on the past 12 years since that incident, acknowledging that despite initial outrage and planning, many similar tragedies have occurred, with only a few receiving widespread attention, questioning whether the lessons have truly been learned.

President Murmu emphasised the constant struggle women face in securing their rights due to deep-rooted social prejudices and opposing customs, which perpetuate the detrimental view of women as inferior beings.

She pointed out that the objectification of women by a segment of society is a significant factor contributing to crimes against women, calling for a joint effort from both the State and society to counter this mindset.

While recognising the existence of laws and social initiatives, Murmu highlighted a persistent obstacle hindering progress in addressing crimes against women.

Addressing the tendency for societies to ignore painful history through collective amnesia, Murmu passionately urged for a thorough exploration of the underlying issues of crimes against women, stressing the importance of collective remembrance and learning from past failures to foster a more vigilant future.

She called for honest and unbiased self-reflection within society to identify errors and rectify them, underlining the necessity of addressing these challenges to ensure the equitable rights and freedoms of all individuals.

With the announcement of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha senior leader and former Chief Minister Champai Soren that he is joining the BJP on August 30, the BJP state chief Babulal Marandi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Tuesday.

According to reports, the Jharkhand BJP chief and former Chief Minister Marandi was upset with the decision of induction of Champai Soren into the party. Reportedly, he also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah too.

After meeting with the Prime Minister in the national capital, the Jharkhand BJP chief shared a post on X. He said in Hindi: “Today I had a courtesy meeting with the respected Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The company and guidance of the respected Prime Minister always provide new energy and inspiration for public service.”

Prior to his departure, Marandi informed reporters that Soren would be welcomed into the BJP, stating, “If he is joining the party, we will welcome him. There’s no doubt about it.”

Assam Chief Minister and the party’s Jharkhand in-charge Himanta Biswa Sarma on August 26 announced that Champai Soren will join the BJP on August 30. Sarma had earlier also invited Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to join the BJP.

Ending all the speculation, Soren on Tuesday stated that he along with his son Babu Lal Soren is going to join the BJP on August 30.

In a post on X, Soren said: “I have decided to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, expressing faith in the leadership of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Your cooperation is expected in this new chapter of struggle for the issues and rights of the tribals, natives, Dalits, backward classes, poor, laborers, farmers, women, youth and common people of Jharkhand. “

Speaking to a reporter today on Champai joining the saffron party, the BJP leader Sita Soren said: “Earlier all the leaders in the JMM party were connected but today the situation is not such that every leader is respected. If he was given respect or made the Chief Minister, he should have been allowed to remain the Chief Minister.”

She said that he was insulted and that could not be tolerated by him. Champai Soren did not say anything against the party and rather he was with the party in every situation but such a situation arose that he took this decision, the BJP leader added.

As Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir is set to kick off next month, the BJP on Tuesday released its third list of 29 more candidates for second and third phases, taking to 45 the number of seats for which it has announced its nominees.

The BJP released a list of 10 candidates for the second phase and 19 candidates for the third phase of the Jammu and Kashmir elections.

The party has fielded Devender Singh Rana from Nagrota and named Satish Sharma as its candidate from Billawar, which was represented by former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh in the last assembly elections held in 2014.

The BJP has made one change from the now-rescinded list, which was put out on Monday, as it has named Baldev Raj Sharma from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi seat in place of Rohit Dubey. All other names are same for the same set of constituencies, announced yesterday before being withdrawn.

The BJP has so far not named its nominee for Nowshera, which was represented in 2014 by its current state president Ravinder Raina, and Gandhinagar, from where its another senior leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta was elected in the last elections.

Several candidates across parties filed their nominations today for a fight on 90 seats in the upcoming Assembly election in the Union Territory.

Arshid Bhat, a BJP candidate from Rajpora Assembly constituency, said when regional parties were in power in the UT, the most number of backdoor appointments happened in Pulwama. Due to this, there’s a frustration and insecurity in educated youth, he added. “We are not contesting against any individuals, we are fighting against ideas”, he said.

After filing her nomination from Bijbehara constituency today, PDP leader Iltija Mufti addressed a gathering and said there are several issues in Jammu and Kashmir including unemployment and drugs. She wondered about the number of liquor shops that have been opened in the Union Territory.

“Even after obtaining four degrees, you people are sitting at home. Do you want your future to look like this? I ensure you that we will resolve the issue of unemployment. God willing and if you all will be with me, I will be with you like a sister and not like an MLA”, she said.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which has a 90-member assembly, is going to polls in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1. The counting will be on October 4.