Chants of “We want justice” rang through the air as hundreds of women took to the streets near the Rajajinagar entrance on Saturday, protesting against the gangrape of the 23-year-old woman in New Delhi.
Students protest
Organised by the All-India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) and SJR College for Women, the protest saw students holding banners and shouting slogans. Kavya Shivam, a final year degree student at SJR College, said protests must go on till justice is delivered.
“All students must come together and fight for the cause,” she said.
Strict action sought
K.S. Lakshmi, State general secretary of AIDWA, called for strict action from the government. “The recent cases of sexual assault of minors at Kadugodi in Bangalore and Bhalki taluk of Bidar, and the gangrape of the woman from National Law School of India University are just some of the cases that have come to light in the State,” she said. Women in the country were paying for the failure of the government in stopping such crimes, she added.
AIDWA demanded that the government make the safety of women a priority.
“There must be efforts to prevent such crimes, merely nabbing the culprits is not enough,” Ms. Lakshmi added.
Criticised
Ananth Naik, State president of the Student Federation of India, spoke out against the lathi-charge and use of tear gas by the police against protesters in New Delhi.
“We must build a society where all women can walk without fear,” he said.