"Nation’s prayers have been answered"

“We are satisfied,” said Nirbhaya’s father Badrinath Singh, minutes after the Rajya Sabha passed the Juvenile Justice Bill allowing children aged between 16 and 18 years accused of heinous crimes to be tried as adults.

Nirbhaya’s parents were invited to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday to watch the proceeding and the debate on the Bill.

Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi, however, said she felt sad too. “I couldn’t ensure that my daughter’s tormentor stayed in jail and was given the death penalty.

“The prayers of a nation have been answered. My daughter’s death and our ordeal haven’t gone in vain. The nation has finally shown that it cares about its daughters,” she said.

“This amendment will ensure at least now that criminals cannot escape punishment citing young age,” said Mr. Badrinath.

“Today again is a day of hope,” he told The Hindu earlier in the morning. “We are ready to participate in this historic move”. Asha Devi maintained that their presence at the Rajya Sabha would remind the leaders how a young girl was sexually assaulted and had subsequently died because of the injuries she suffered. “The law of the land has to serve as a deterrent. There has to be a fear of the consequences. We wanted the amendment for the protection of all the young children of the country. We just cannot have young boys raping and assaulting little girls and going scot-free,” she said.