Hundreds gathered in mourning and in protest at Parliament Street on Sunday evening to demand that those guilty in the Kathua and Unnao rape cases be punished. The protest also called upon citizens to hold those in positions of power accountable for crimes against minorities, Dalits, adivasis, women and girls.
Organised by #NotInMyName, a citizens’ initiative against hate crimes, the protest was taken out to express anguish on having to take to the streets again to seek justice for victims of rape, even after the changes made in laws following the December 16, 2012 gang-rape incident.
On the podium set up for the protest, people recited original poems calling for justice, while others borrowed from the writings of Manto, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, and Martin Luther King Jr. to send across the message that they would not allow such violence to continue.
The street was filled with groups of protesters who expressed themselves through street art, silent candlelight vigils and singing of songs signifying hope.
‘Larger narrative’
Saba Dewan, chief organiser of the protest, said that the rape and murder of a little girl in Kathua was “part of a larger narrative of communal violence where women’s bodies are being used as a battlefield with the active participation of the State”.
Several schoolgirls also took to the podium to take a stand on “normalisation of rape in society.
“People are asking for the religious identity of the girl who was raped and the one who raped her. What has happened to us, are we still human? It is a shame that people are defending a rapist based on political ideology and religion,” said Pakhi Jain, who recently finished her Class X board exams.
Encouraging teenagers to take a stand and protect their freedom, Ms. Jain said: “What difference will it make if you top your exam? If you do not speak up now, concepts like democracy, equality, love and freedom will only exist as concepts in a textbook. Is this the life that we want to live?”
Deepika Singh Rajawat, the lawyer appearing in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in the Kathua case, said she was being ostracised by her own community for taking up the case.
“They ask me why I am fighting for justice for a Muslim girl. I ask them, is it not reason enough that I am a woman and a mother of a five-year old? There are many laws, we don’t need more. We need social change,” said Ms. Rajawat.
Lawyer and human rights activist Vrinda Grover appealed to politicians asking for the death penalty of rapist, to instead focus on getting those accused of the crime convicted as “across the country cases are languishing in court while the perpetrators roam free”.
‘Dismiss UP govt’
The protesters demanded the dismissal of the Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh for protecting a rapist and abetting the death in police custody of the father of the victim in Unnao.
They also demanded the arrest of the two BJP Ministers who led rallies of the Hindu Ekta Manch (HEM) in Kathua, and the arrest of the HEM office bearers and leaders for hate speech. They further asked for security arrangements for families of the victims and State support for arranging a competent prosecution team.
