New Delhi Nov 29 (IANS): Holding placards and shouting slogans, scores of students and professionals from the northeast who stay in the capital protested Monday against the gangrape of a BPO staffer from Mizoram last week and demanded speedy justice.
Arijit Kakaty, a student of Delhi University who participated in the protest at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi , said: “It’s ridiculous how the authorities just make some promises on action against the culprits and on adopting safety measures, and then forget about it in a few days’ time.”
“It happened last year too – we protested in large numbers against repeated cases of sexual harassment against northeastern girls, and in response the chief minister of Delhi promised a helpline and other measures for the community. A year on, nothing has materialised,” Kakaty told IANS.
Asin Kinimi, a student who hails from Nagaland, said: “Our focus should primarily be to keep the pressure mounting on the authorities and the Delhi Police. Only then promises will be kept. In this gangrape case, we have to keep demanding speedy justice for things to actually materialise.”
According to Madhu Chandra, spokesperson of the Northeast Support Centre and Helpline, nearly 1,000 people participated in the protest. It was organised by the Mizo Students Association.
Placards with slogans like ‘Delhi Police Act Now!’, ‘Justice should be given to the victim’ were held by the protestors. They also demanded that the BPO company where the victim worked should be booked for inadequate safety measures for its employees so that it sets an example for others to make safety a priority.
“Students from the northeast who live in Delhi are often subjected to harassment and discrimination because of the way they look. But unfortunately, despite cases of sexual harassment against girls of the community, authorities do very little except making lofty promises,” Chandra said.
“The aim of the rally therefore was to voice the community’s angst against such unfair treatment meted out to them. And to demand quick justice,” he added.
A 30-year-old Mizo woman was abducted by four men and gangraped in a moving goods carrier on Wednesday last week. She was abducted soon after being dropped along with another girl, 100 metres from her home, by her office vehicle in Dhaula Kuan area in south Delhi late in the night.
The men then drove all the way to Mongolpuri in northwest Delhi and dumped her there. Police have registered a case and are investigating. On Friday, police released a sketch of one of the accused based on CCTV footage of the four accused and by questioning the victim’s friend.