New Delhi, Dec 24 (IANS) Family members and friends of some rape victims Monday joined the on-going protests here against the Dec 16 gang-rape of a woman in a moving bus and sought steps against police inaction.
“Since five years my relative is running around for justice as none of the accused who raped her was arrested,” a protester related to a 26-year-old rape victim told IANS at Jantar Mantar.
Carrying banners on their hands, eight women sought justice for their neighbour who was allegedly raped by four men employed in Delhi Jal Board five years back, when she was 21.
“We came here intending to get justice for my friend,” a 45-year-old Aiysha told IANS.
The victim had gone to the DJB office to register a complaint against water supply disruption and of instead sorting out her problem they gang-raped her in Jhandewalan area of central Delhi, Aiysha said.
A 36-year-old woman raising slogans and carried a banner which read: “Bachiyan Bhi Safe Nahi hain” (Even girls are not safe). She said: “I have a 13-year-old daughter. One day she refused to go to school. When I asked she told me few persons chase her.”
“When I approached police, in-spite taking action against those persons, they told me to lodged a written complaint. They are still not doing anything and I think something will happen,” she added.
The protesters reached Jantar Mantar in the morning after being prevented to agitate at the India Gate.
Barricades were placed at Parliament Street, Rajpath and Vijay Chowk in central Delhi where the protesters had been converging over the past week.
The protesters, many of them students in school or college, Saturday and Sunday raised slogans and demanded justice for the 23-year-old woman who was brutally gang-raped and now battles for life in a hospital here.
Police resorted to caning and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. Many were also drenched as water cannons were used in the winter chill.
