Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, May 16: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had to face hostile women at SKICC today as they threw furniture and bottles towards the dice and raised Azadi slogans forcing her to leave the function half way.
The incident happened at a function organized by Rural Development Department at SKICC which was attended by large number of women from different parts of Kashmir valley.
Earlier, the trouble started at the entrance of SKICC where women participants objected to enter alleging they had been brought to SKICC deceitfully.
However, the organizers somehow managed the situation and brought them in.
Amidst anger among the women participants as the Chief Minister appeared in the lawns of SKICC after delivering lecture inside, the angry participants started raising slogans and threw whatever they had including chairs, water bottles and other furniture.
One of the women said that they had been called for some UMEED function and not told that Mehbooba will be here as she along with angry few hundred women left the venue in anger. “We have been cheated by the organizers. We were not informed about her. We don’t want to see her,” she said.
The Chief Minister later told reporters that the chaos occurred due to lack of proper arrangements. “There were over 12000 women and a lady fainted during the function and she couldn’t get water. There was panic and chaos and children started weeping. I hope this programme will be reorganised as we heard stories how poor women are taking advantage of UMEED to build their future. They are working for educating their children and providing better livelihood to their families. I feel there were more people and there was no water available and it created problem”, she said.
Earlier Mehbooba visited several stalls put up by the women members of Self Help Groups (SHGs) set up under Umeed scheme and interacted with them.
Chief Minister went round the stalls put up by these women and appreciated them for the good work they have been doing despite the hardships of life. She enquired from them about the marketing facility, availability of credit and raw material for their units.
”Mehbooba also listened to the stories of struggle of many of these women who braved the difficulties and established themselves as successful entrepreneurs.
Chief Minister, however, expressed her disappointment over the poor arrangements made at the venue. She expressed her disappointment to the organizers for the lack of basic facilities at the venue like drinking water, sanitation or medical help for the women who had come for the meeting.
Many women fainted at the venue due to nausea or lack of proper space for them of which the Chief Minister took a serious note.
Sources said that women were brought to the venue at around 9 a.m and they were not provided water and other refreshment and were not even allowed to go to the washroom that triggered the anger.
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