Brutal gang-rape brings chaos to streets of Delhi

The gang-rape and the brutal assault of a 23-year-girl inside a moving bus in India’s capital city has thrown life out of gear in New Delhi.

The rape of the girl by six men has invited country-wide protests and unprecedented demonstrations with the epicenter being Delhi’s India Gate. Protestors clashed with police and they used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the agitating crowd.

Central Delhi experiened massive traffic snarls as protesters blocked roads near India Gate. Police fired teargas shells on the agitators, mostly school and college students as they tried to enter Raisina Hills, India’s corridors of power.

The areas around India Gate and Raisina Hills witnessed high drama when police tried to evacuate demonstrators who defied prohibitory orders under Section 144 and assembled to protest against the rising rape cases in India’s capital.

The areas around central Delhi have been kept on high alert by the administration after students and protesters swarmed in large numbers to vent their anger on the administration for failing to protect women in the streets of Delhi.

A large chunk of Delhi’s police force was deployed in Raisina Hills and barricades placed at different places. A number of metro stations near India Gate and Raisina Hills were closed as part of police preparations to contain the agitation.

Despite the six of the accused in the rape cases being arrested within a span of three days after the incident, the protests continue and the entire nation vents its displeasure on the deteriorating security in Delhi, especially the safety and security of women in the streets of India’s capital.

The protesters primarily relied on social media, text messages, and communication to muster support against what they described as blatant complacency and lip service by the government and the police in case of making the streets of Delhi safe for women.

Doctors treating the 23-year-old rape victim mentioned that the girl is responding well to treatment but they have kept her on high doses of antibiotics and high standards of hygiene – deemed as necessary precautions to prevent the spread of infection in her body.

The horrific account of the brutal rape and assault has raised a storm in India’s political circles and people’s loss of faith in the administration; the continuous protests and masses spilling out in the streets shows seething anger and frustration against what is believed to be inefficiency of the administration to provide security to the people of Delhi.

Comments:

The sheer brutality of the incident has shocked the people of Delhi and the growing protests in the streets of Delhi indicate that the citizens of Delhi have felt the need to condemn the incident in strong words.

There is a strong assertion that the government and the police have to ensure that women feel safe in the country by establishing stricter laws and such incidents need to stop in future.

Source:

The Hindu

The Times of India