#MeToo: Maneka Gandhi breaks ranks with Modi govt, calls for an enquiry against MJ Akbar
“There must be investigation. Men in position of power often indulge in such acts,” said Maneka Gandhi, becoming the first government minister to react to allegations against Akbar.
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi has called for an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against Minister of State (MoS) External Affairs MJ Akbar, becoming the first government minister to do so.
“There must be an investigation. Men in position of power often indulge in such acts,” Maneka told a news channel, reacting to allegations levelled on the editor-turned-politician by at least two women journalists.
Maneka noted that women in India have so far been scared to speak up against such behaviour. “Now when women have gathered the courage to speak up, the allegations must be taken seriously,” she said.
Maneka, however, stopped short of calling for Akbar’s resignation.
She also reiterated her earlier stand that all sort of allegations of sexual misconduct must be investigated whenever they come to light, no matter how dated they are. “I even wrote to the Law Ministry to scrap the time frame clause in the law as far as sexual harassment allegations are concerned,” said Maneka.
So far, there hasn’t been any statement from the Prime Minister and other leading members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), even as clamour for resignation of Akbar grows.
“Seriously so no code of conduct applies to central ministers in PMO India cabinet(.) How is Akbar a fit & proper person to represent India? #Metoo,” wrote a senior journalist on Twitter. The scribe was among two journalists who have accused Akbar of sexual misconduct during his time as editor of a leading English daily.
She later claimed that BJP President Amit Shah had asked all BJP spokespersons to not react on allegations against Akbar.
Amit Shah has instructed all Bjp spokies not to comment on @mjakbar #metooallegations. But how long can @PMOIndia dodge a decision? Akbar has zero base & is totally expendable. Still no action
— Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) October 9, 2018
The Editors Guild of India, the apex body of editorial leaders, has also demanded an investigation into the allegations of sexual misconduct that are surfacing in different newsrooms, including against Akbar.
Editors Guild of India has issued a statement on the recent cases of alleged sexual harassment in the newsrooms. Please read the full text here: https://t.co/xrPM0vb2jKpic.twitter.com/vnKVzVWWik
— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) October 9, 2018
Earlier in the day, Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj refused to comment on accusations against Akbar at an event at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Sad to see a woman minister like @SushmaSwaraj refusing to even acknowledge a question on the serious sexual harassment allegations against @mjakbar . Well done to @Smita_Sharma for trying to get a response pic.twitter.com/rWbamLfSCr
— Nidhi Razdan (@Nidhi) October 9, 2018
Officials at the MEA, however, confided that Akbar must speak out on the allegations.
Courtesy: www.nationalheraldindia.com
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After fake ID crackdown, IRCTC daily new accounts down to 5000 from one lakh: Railways
New Delhi (PTI): With a new, stringent system to establish user identity, the number of new user IDs being added daily on the IRCTC website has declined to about 5,000 from nearly one lakh, officials said on Saturday.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that the crackdown by Indian Railways on train ticket booking through fake identities is yielding positive results, according to a press note.
Before the latest reforms, this number had touched nearly one lakh new user IDs per day, it said.
"Following the introduction of a stringent system to establish user identity and detect fake IDs, about 5,000 new user IDs are now being added daily on the IRCTC website," the note said.
The officials stated that these steps have already helped Indian Railways deactivate 3.03 crore fake accounts.
"Another 2.7 crore user IDs have either been temporarily suspended or identified for suspension based on the suspicious activities they are indulging in," they said.
The Union minister directed officials to ensure that the ticketing system is reformed to a level where all travellers are able to book tickets easily through a real and genuine user ID, the press note added.
Additionally, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed officials to provide local cuisine of the region in Vande Bharat trains.
Introducing local cuisine that reflects the culture and tastes of the regions being traversed will significantly enhance the passenger experience, officials said.
This facility will be expanded to all the trains progressively in future, they added.
