Nagpur.
Veteran pro-Vidarbha leader Jambhuwantrao Dhote also known as the “Lion of Vidarbha” led a Group of Commercial Sex Workers and Social Activists and officials of NGOs to Sitabuldi Police Station to protest against the relentless raids on the city’s red-light area Ganga Jamuna on February 4, 2015.
Social activists and officials of NGOs from different organizations had decided to join hands to hold an ‘Akrosh Sabha’ or protest meeting against the relentless raids on the city’s red-light area Ganga Jamuna by Deputy Commissioner of Police Abhinash Kumar had initiated the action around a fortnight ago against the flesh trade racketeers followed by raids by the Lakadganj police.
The meeting was held at Vidarbha Marathi Sahitya Sangh at Jhansi Rani Square chaired by Vidharbha Veer Jambuwantrao Dhote as he is fondly known had formed the ‘Amrapali’ organization more than two decades ago to launch a similar stir when police had tried to compel Ganga Jamuna residents to refrain from engaging in flesh trade. A sizeable numbers of residents of Ganga Jamuna which included around 500-600 Commercial Sex Workers and Transgenders (Hijra) attended the meeting.
While speaking to media personnel, Veteran pro-Vidarbha leader Jambhuwantrao Dhote said that the BJP Government had made the life of common man miserable and now they are not even sparing the Commercial Sex Workers. He claimed that these Commercial Sex Workers were somehow earning a livelihood by selling their bodies, now are bereft of any food or shelter for the past so many days. He also claimed that earning their livelihood by selling their bodies is their ‘Constitutional right’.
Jambhuwantrao Dhote claimed that all these Commercial Sex Workers tie Rakhi on my wrist on every Rakhshabandan Day. So it is my duty to protect them and their interest.
Jambhuwantrao Dhote also declared that the police atrocities over Commercial Sex Workers will not be borne quietly for long. He claimed that today they have staged an agitation at Sitabuldi Police Station tomorrow we’ll stage an agitation at the office of Commissioner of Police and after that we’ll stage an agitation in Chief Minister’s residence. We shall not move from Chief Minister’s house till he orders or grants permission to re-start of Ganga Jamuna.
