As part of the ongoing Constitution- Freedom- Justice Protection Week marking the birth anniversary of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, thousands of women and youth across Bihar took to the streets demanding justice for victims of caste and gender-based violence. The march was held 15 April 2025 under the joint call of the All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA) and the CPI(ML).
Major demonstrations were reported from Patna, Aurangabad, Bihar Sharif, Arwal, Muzaffarpur, Begusarai, Samastipur, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Nawada, Gaya, Arrah, Siwan, Bettiah, and Madhubani. Women, students, political activists and elected representatives joined hands in a powerful display of collective anger and resistance.
In Patna, the central march began from the historic GPO roundabout and culminated in a mass gathering. Among those who addressed the protest were CPI(ML) Legislative Party leader Mahboob Alam, Legislative Council member Comrade Shashi Yadav, Shambhunath Mehta, Madhuri Gupta, and Preeti Kumari.
“This regime is anti-women, anti-Dalit, and anti-backward castes,” said Comrade Shashi Yadav. “The people of Bihar will teach this regime a lesson in the upcoming elections. Those dragging Bihar backwards will face resistance at every step.”
Speakers emphasised that the campaign was not merely a demand for justice but a powerful indictment of the ruling regime's inhumanity. They cited a series of brutal incidents to underline the deepening crisis—Sneha Kushwaha’s murder in Varanasi, the killing of 12-year-old Komal Paswan in Aurangabad by a vehicle allegedly linked to an LJP leader, the rape and murder of a young Dalit girl and an 8-year-old in Purnia, an attempted gang rape in Nabinagar, and a horrific acid attack in Begusarai.
These are not isolated incidents but part of a growing trend of casteist and patriarchal violence enabled and emboldened by the BJP-JDU ‘double engine’ government. The ruling regime of creating an atmosphere where feudal forces, protected by state power, operate with impunity.
“This is not just about punishing the guilty,” added Comrade Mahboob Alam. “This is about defending our right to dignity, to freedom, to exist without fear.”
The march reaffirmed to intensify the broader struggle for strengthening constitutional values, equality, and rights.
