New chief of Bihar State Women Commission, 5 other members take charge

The commission had been defunct since October 2020, when the three-year term of its members and the chairperson ended, till it was reconstituted earlier this week.

Ashwamedh Devi, the newly appointed chairperson of Bihar State Women Commission in Bihar who took charge on Friday, said she is well aware of her challenging task since thousands of cases have been pending at the commission that has been defunct for quite some time.

Ashwamedh Devi takes charge as chairperson of Bihar State Women Commission along with new members. (Santosh Kumar/ht)

The commission had been defunct since October 2020, when the three-year term of its members and the chairperson ended, till it was reconstituted earlier this week.

Five other newly appointed members — Prabhawati Manjhi, Rabia Khatun, Shweta Biswas, Sulochana Devi and Geeta Yadav — also joined the office today.

“I am pretty much aware that thousands of cases have been pending at the women commission,”said Ashwamedh Devi, who is also a former MP from Ujiarpur in Samastipur district.

“Handling such a vast number of cases would be a challenging task, but I will try to give my best. Being selected for this position is an honour for me,” she said, while thanking chief minister Nitish Kumar.

According to officials in the department, more than 7,000 cases of domestic violence, dowry harassment and physical abuse are pending with the rights panel.

Vinita Kumari, an employee with the women commission, said most of the cases, which have been pending for more than two years, were received through posts between 2021 and June 2023.

Akhtari Beghum, a social activist, said, “It’s a matter of relief for the victims now that the government has appointed the chairperson and has reconstituted the panel of members.”

The total strength of the state women commission is 11. Apart from the chairperson, seven other members are nominated by the state government. Rest three comprise one representative each from the social welfare department, home department and Bihar State Women Development Corporation.