Patels march to temple for vow against female foeticide

Palanpur: With an aim to sensitize the community and remove prejudices against the girl child, around 350 members of Becharaji based Bechar Samstha Patidar Pragati Yuvak Mandal (BSPPYM) undertook a holy march to Umiya Mataji temple in Unjha on Thursday. Members of both Leuva and Kadva Patel communities are participating in the initiative.
"We will take pledge in presence of the goddess to shun female foeticide on reaching Unjha on Friday after covering a distance of 70km," said BSPPYM president Harshad Patel.He said the holy march is being carried out every year on the last eight occasions.
"This year, we have a special prayer to offer and take the collective oath before our Kuldevi Umiya Mata to give wisdom to all to remove the prejudicial attitude towards girls and do away with the practice of female foeticide so as to balance the sex ratio," he said while pointing that the sex ratio in his area is highly skewed and there 875 girls per 1,000 boys. This has resulted in several youths remaining unmarried or going in for inter caste marriages. Hundreds of them have been cheated by people who have offered them brides.
"With a view to get rid of the disgraceful scenario, we have decided to encourage and involve a large number of people in the initiative and that too at a holy place like Umiya Mata's temple to take a pledge to shun the indifferent attitude towards the girl child," said Patel.
He said that the organization has been felicitating parents who have had a girl child and also those who have two girls and no boys in the last five years. He said the felicitations would continue and pointed that eminent persons of the community have joined the fight against the social evil of female foeticide.