Thousands take to the streets as India outrage over rapes escalates
THE rape and murder of an eight-yearold girl and the separate rape of a teenager have sparked mass protests across India, with levels of public outrage not seen since the death of a young woman on a bus in 2012.
Yesterday, thousands of people demonstrated in New Delhi, Mumbai, and other cities, demanding that the government quickly prosecute rape suspects. Candlelight vigils were also held.
The widespread demonstrations have become a comment on the state of the country and how it treats its women and children – feeding off India’s perennial battles against corruption, religious tensions and gender-based violence.
They have also engulfed Narendra Modi’s ruling BJP party in an election year, with the party accused of trying to shield a state MP in one case and of defending the accused in the other.
The body of the eight-year-old girl, Asifa Bano, was found earlier this year in Kathua, in the volatile state of Jammu and Kashmir. She was lured into the woods by her attackers, drugged, locked in a temple, gang raped for days and finally strangled.
The victim came from a nomadic Muslim community of shepherds, while her alleged attackers are Hindu men, including a local political fixer.
Last week a group of Hindu lawyers surrounded a court in Kashmir, claiming the eight suspects were being discriminated against because of their faith.
That sparked nationwide revulsion, and a social media campaign with members of the public holding up the words “I am Hindustan. I am ashamed. #Justiceforourchild #Justiceforasifa. 8 years old. Gang-raped. Murdered” running into the tens of thousands.
In Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, a 16-yearold girl accused a ruling party politician of rape, along with his brother. After weeks of inaction, the victim
‘That people can commit such a serious crime as rape with anything approaching impunity is the issue here’
tried to kill herself in front of the chief state minister’s house. Her father went to file a complaint and died in police custody, leading to the suspension of several officers amid investigations.
Both Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the suspect, and Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister, are close cohorts of Mr Modi. Mr Sengar was eventually arrested after the Central Bureau of Investigation took the case out of state police hands.
Not since Jyoti Singh Pandey, a 23-year-old woman, was gang raped and killed on a bus in Delhi six years ago has India seen such a groundswell of public outrage over the lack of protection for women – and children.
That case led to the introduction of tougher laws, but 40,000 rape cases are reported every year.
Dr Bijayalaxmi Nanda, a professor of political theory and gender studies at Delhi University, said: “There are people from the government or the state involved in these cases.
“That people can commit such a serious crime as rape with anything approaching impunity is the underlying issue here. The idea that for vulnerable or marginalised women and children, justice will never be delivered.”
Critics of the BJP say a culture of sectarian division and male entitlement among the ruling class is a by-product of the party’s Right-wing, socially conservative agenda.
Maneka Gandhi, minister for women and children, has called for the death penalty in child rape cases.
Mehbooba Mufti, Jammu and Kashmir’s chief minister, forced out two BJP ministers from her cabinet for rallying behind the people accused of raping and murdering Asifa.
After days of protests, Prime Minister Modi responded: “As a country, as a society, we all are ashamed of it. I want to assure the country that no culprit will be spared, complete justice will be done. Our daughters will definitely get justice.”