On October 24, thousands of women from across Uttar Pradesh took to the streets of Lucknow to protest the increasing violence against women and the Yogi government’s “bulldozer politics.” The state-wide demonstration, organized by the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA), faced several police attempts to halt the march. However, the determined protesters pressed on, ultimately holding a rally at the KKC intersection, just a short distance from the state assembly.

The women, representing various districts of the state, marched from Charbagh railway station, raising slogans such as, “No more violence against women,” “Stop bulldozer raj,” “End repression of minorities in Bahraich,” “Control inflation,” “Withdraw smart meters,” “Stop evicting the poor from their land,” and “Guarantee permanent employment for scheme workers.” Other demands included enforcing labour rights, increasing pensions for widows and the elderly, and providing free education from primary to postgraduate levels.

Addressing the protesters, AIPWA’s state president, Comrade Krishna Adhikari, cited alarming statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which place Uttar Pradesh at the top of the list for crimes against women. She condemned the state’s failure to curb incidents of rape, murder, and abduction, highlighting the lack of justice for victims and their families. “Despite the claims of women’s empowerment, the reality is that women are not safe in Uttar Pradesh under Yogi Adityanath’s government,” Krishna Adhikari stated. She also criticized the police for their failure to register FIRs and their insensitivity towards victims of gender-based violence.

Adhikari also pointed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s silence on several sexual assault cases, including those involving BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and the recent release of convicted rapists in the IIT-BHU case, as evidence of the administration’s hypocrisy and apathy.

AIPWA’s state secretary, Comrade Kusum Verma, spoke about the economic hardships faced by women, particularly poor and working-class women. “Women are facing violence in every aspect of life under Yogi’s rule. Government projects like the Smart Meter initiative are adding to their burdens, forcing them into crippling debt,” she said.

She also criticized the government for failing to provide basic amenities such as clean drinking water, while inflation pushes families into financial despair. She added that Yogi’s politics of hate and bulldozer raj have created communal polarization and division, with the recent violence in Bahraich being a stark example.

CPIML state secretary, Sudhakar Yadav, also addressed the rally, accusing the Yogi government of deliberately allowing atrocities against women and minorities. He declared that these injustices would not be tolerated and that protests against the BJP would intensify. Yadav further stated that the upcoming by-elections would be an opportunity for the people to defeat the fascist BJP and hold the Yogi government accountable.