Protests at crimes against women

THOUSANDS OF people have protested across India over sexual violence against women, after widespread horror at two crimes which seemed to be condoned by the authorities.

Carrying banners and placards, protesters marched in New Delhi, Mumbai and other cities demanding that India’s government act decisively against rape suspects.

The outrage followed the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir and the abduction and rape of a teenage girl in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state.

Many protesters expressed particular anger at India’s ruling Hindu nationalist party for initially siding with the accused in the Kashmir case. The young victim was a Muslim and the accused are Hindus.

In Uttar Pradesh the chief rape suspect is a local politician and police seemed reluctant to prosecute. The girl’s father later died of beating injuries after trying to complain.

A total of at least nine suspects, including a politician from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and four police officials, have been arrested in the two cases.

Violent crime against women has been on the rise in India despite tough laws enacted in 2013 after brutal gang rape of a young woman in New Delhi shocked the country.

India doubled prison terms for rapists to 20 years and criminalised voyeurism, stalking and the trafficking of women. The aged at whish a person can be tried for serious crimes was lowered to 16 from 18.