The Delhi Cabinet’s special one-day session on women’s safety is expected to be adjourned in condolence of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s sudden demise at Indian Institute of Management-Shillong on Monday evening.
Dr. Kalam collapsed while delivering a lecture.
According to an official from the Delhi Assembly Speaker’s office, the Cabinet will follow the Parliament’s lead and settle for “an identical period of adjournment as the latter”.
The Centre has declared seven-day national mourning.
“The event is a national tragedy. Since proceedings of the Parliament’s Monsoon Session are scheduled comparatively earlier in the day — around 11 a.m., which is three hours before our special session at 2 p.m. — we will take a final call on whether or not to go ahead with it as per proceedings which the Parliament opts for,” the official said.
Initially, a Delhi government spokesperson said it had been decided to begin and end the session with a homage to victims of Monday morning’s Gurdaspur terror attack followed by actual proceedings on Wednesday.
A source said the Vidhan Sabha was expected to conduct a discussion on terrorism in light of the incident in addition to the Capital’s law and order situation before proceedings aimed at passing a resolution for the creation of a commission of enquiry.
Proposed to be set up under the Commission of Inquiry Act, the proposed Commission was supposed to be empowered to receive complaints from victims of sexual harassment or stalking or voyeurism in whose cases appropriate action has not been taken, since the February, 2013 which was when the new law related to sexual crime came into force but those victimised did not get justice.
