Silent protest erupts for rape victims

Hyderabad: The outrage over gang-rapes and murders of women and minor girls that has swept the nation was seen in Hyderabad on Saturday when protesters took to the streets and demanded for speedy justice. 

After many months, a silent protest was organised by several human rights activists and social activists on at Dharna Chowk on Saturday to draw attention towards justice for the rape victim of Hathras (UP), Moinabad (Telangana) and Sonepat (Haryana) and other districts of the country.

Young women and men wearing black badges held placards and candles at Dharna Chowk, and  demanded that the judiciary expedite its judgment in rape trials.

Two Dalit girls were allegedly gang raped by ten police personnel in a police station in Sonepat district of Haryana in the first week of July, but no action was taken so far on the complaint lodged by the girl’s mother in the case, activists stated.

On Saturday, nearly 100 people gathered at Dharna Chowk, and demanded the immediate arrest of the policemen involved in the case at Haryana. The protest was jointly organized by Women and Transgender Organisations Joint Action Committee, AIDWA and several other Dalit activists. Students groups and  also  joined the protest.

A young protestor at Dharna Chowk said, “The aim of our protest is to demand death penalty for the accused policemen.  Despite several protests against the gangrape, none of the senior officials have acknowledged the complaint in Haryana case,” said Manohar (23).

Another activist Sandhya said, “Violent crime against women have been in the spotlight in the country since many years, there have been fatal gang rape cases of young and minor girls this has prompted hundreds of thousands to take to the streets to demand stricter rape laws.”

Another protester from the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Asha Lata said if the judiciary is strong and delivers justice on time, each rape victim and their parents would get the justice. Those accused of gangrape and murders of innocent women and children havw to be punished according to the law, then only a sense of fear will come. A person would think several times before committing a heinous crime like rape.”