Thaindian News

Bangalore, March 2 (IANS) Nirmala Vankatesh Monday claimed that she was sacked from her membership in the National Commission for Women because of a “political conspiracy”.
“Three people are behind this conspiracy,” Vankatesh, who was shown the door by Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury over her report on the Mangalore pub attack, told reporters here.

But she did not name the three.

Vankatesh said she may challenge her sacking in the Supreme Court of India.

She defended her report on the pub attack. The report blamed lack of security at the pub in Mangalore for the Jan 24 incident when around 40 members of Sri Rama Sene, a right wing Hindu group, bashed up a group of young women for “violating traditional Indian values”.

She had said none of the victims or their parents/relatives had come to meet her. She however met some of the arrested Sene activists in jail in Mangalore and said they had expressed their regret.

Vankatesh’s report on the incident drew the ire of not only Renuka Chowdhury but NCW chairperson Girija Vyas who dismissed it as the member’s personal view and not of the Commission.

Chowdhury, describing Vankatesh as a flaw in the system, sacked her from the NCW on Feb 27.

But Vankatesh Monday defended her action saying she had the power to investigate on her own.

“So many cases were investigated by one-member committee. I can take suo motu action. I have the quasi-judicial power and can take suo motu action as per the NCW Act,” she asserted.

Vankatesh, a Congress party member, denied she was planning to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is in power in Karnataka.

However she had taken part in an anti-terrorism rally organised by BJP in Bangalore Saturday. The rally was addressed by BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L. K. Advani. Vankatesh was on the dais along with other BJP leaders.