The rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and the rape of an 18-year-old girl in Unnao in Uttar Pradesh has drawn public outrage with Mumbaikars joining politicians, social activists and Bollywood celebrities in expressing their anger on social media platforms.
On Friday, a joint protest by over 15 organisations demanding justice for the rape victim will be held at 3 p.m. at Azad Maidan. Another protest is will be held at Chaitya Bhoomi in Dadar.
“We strongly condemn the horrific incidents in Kathua and Unnao. To politicise this matter on the basis of religion is the most inhuman thing to do at the moment. Both were our daughters and we stand strong by the side of their families demanding justice,” said M.A. Khalid, general secretary of the All India Mili Council. The Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan along with the TISS Students’ Council and Chiranjivi Children’s Organisation will be participating in the protest at Azad Maidan.
Sucheta Dalal, journalist and Padma Shri recipient, said, “It is extremely outrageous that people have come out and supported the accused because he is a Hindu. The religion should not even be asked in such a case. The girl was eight. After Nirbhaya, the government has done absolutely nothing. It has created the thought that anybody can get away with anything. The fear of the consequences needs to be registered and citizens should play a vital role in that, especially when the government has stopped taking cognisance of such serious matters.”
‘A horrific crime’
Ajanta Yadav, the chief of the city’s Mahila Congress, said, “This is not about the religion or which political party one belongs to. It is purely about the safety of women in this country. One horrific incident in Kashmir, another in U.P., and so many others go unreported. The real question here is how safe are we in this country.”
Several Bollywood celebrities took to Twitter to express outrage against increasing crimes against women and demanded justice for the rape victims. Actor Sonam Kapoor tweeted, “Ashamed appalled and disgusted by fake nationals and fake Hindus. I cannot believe this is happening in my country.” Actor Rajkumar Rao said, “This is beyond horrible. How can anyone in their right senses defend these monsters? #JusticeforHumanity.”
Actor Randeep Hooda tweeted, “They should be hanged death or burnt alive. Don’t know who to say what to.. don’t know if making a statement on social media is in anyway a contribution to retribution.. it has happened before .. it has happened again .. how will it stop ?? Extreme Examples have to be made.”
