Hazare starts ‘silent protest’ for speedy justice for Nirbhaya

‘Rise in crime against women worrying’

Veteran activist Anna Hazare on Friday commenced a maun vrat (vow of silence) in his village Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district to condemn the string of crimes against women in recent times and to protest the tardy delivery of justice in the 2012 Nirbhaya case.

The main thrust of Mr. Hazare’s ‘vow of silence’ is to protest the Centre’s delay in ensuring that those convicted of the Nirbhaya gang rape get captial punishment.

“I have started my

maun vrat to seek speedy justice in the Nirbhaya case, and if the government fails to deliver, I shall go on an indefinite fast,” said Mr. Hazare, saying that this tardiness was causing people to lose faith in the government and the judiciary.

Mr. Hazare had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 9 announcing his intent and citing reasons for his protest.

“The rising incidents of crime against women are worrisome. The public outrage after the Nirbhaya incident led to enactment of legislation meant to deter such crimes. But the government has failed to deliver justice to Nirbhaya as the convicts are yet to face the gallows,” he said in his letter, while observing that over six lakh rape cases were pending in the fast-track courts.

Chastising the government for the ineffectiveness of its measures to ensure women’s safety, the 82-year-old said the 109 helpline seldom functions properly. “The Nirbhaya fund is an example of the government’s attitude, which hopes to bring about a change in the people’s mindset simply by spending money,” the activist said.

In his letter, Mr. Hazare had also alluded to the alleged encounter of four rape accused by the Hyderabad police and expressed alarm at so many people praising it. “This indicates people have lost faith in the judicial system owing to its delay in delivering justice,” he wrote.

Mr. Hazare had also demanded that in future, women police officers ought to record and handle cases of crimes against women as they were likely to be more sensitive than their male counterparts.

Before embarking on his agitation, Mr. Hazare condemned the violence that had erupted in Ahmedabad, Lucknow and other parts of the country during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register for Citizens. “While protesting is a constitutional right, damaging public property and indulging in vandalism is not the way to go about it,” he said.