The Horror of 16/12

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December 16, 2012

The night when Delhi was put to

SHAME

New Delhi, India

8.30 PM

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Evening activity on roads was still at peak then

A 23-year-old girl, a physiotherapist intern, along with her male friend was returning

home after watching a movie.

Horror of 16/12

A private bus stops in front of them. A minor tells them that the bus is going towards their destination. Trusting him, the two board that

bus. The bus was occupied by six men, including the driver.

Horror of 16/12

Few minutes later, the bus deviates from its path and the bus occupants lock the doors.

Suspicious, the friend of the girl questions the driver. They in turn pass lewd comments at the

two for roaming late in the night. When her friend objects to it, they beat him up badly with

an iron rod rendering him unconscious.

Horror of 16/12

Next, they beat up the girl, dragged her to the rear of the bus and raped her as the bus driver

continued to drive. The woman tried her best to fight off the criminals but in vain. Such was the brutality of the crime that a rusted iron rod was inserted into her and pulled out with so much force that the act brought out her intestines

also.

Horror of 16/12

The torture went on for an hour or so as the bus made several rounds of a posh locality,

unnoticed and unsuspected by the ‘alert’ Delhi Police. As if the inhuman torture was not

enough, the criminals threw the two out of the moving bus and tried to drive the bus over the

woman but her partially conscious friend pulled her aside and saved her.

Horror of 16/12

As the headlines and breaking news flashed across the media next day, the entire nation and

world community at large was

OUTRAGED

Millions of people came out in streets in protest against the Government of India and the Delhi government for not

providing adequate security to women.

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Most of these were youths, who are often criticized as being indifferent but not this time

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The protesters braved lathis…

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And water cannons…….

And tear gas shells………

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Candlelight marches were taken out daily by people of all age

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Bollywood fraternity too came out in streets demanding justice

Police tried to calm tempers but in vain

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Each day people came ….demand death for the rapist

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And prayed for the girl and her family…

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All the accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder

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These were the culprits…..Six men were arrested in connection with the incident. They included Ram Singh, the bus driver, and his brother, Mukesh Singh, who were both arrested in Rajasthan. Vinay Sharma, an assistant gym instructor, and Pawan Gupta, a fruit seller, were both arrested in Delhi. A seventeen year old juvenile from Uttar Pradesh, referred to as Raju, was arrested at the Anand Vihar terminal in Delhi and Akshay Thakur, who had come to Delhi seeking employment, was arrested in Aurangabad.

Meanwhile, the girl, with just 5 per cent intestines left in her, showed exemplary resilience once again by

fighting with death even though her condition deteriorated beyond hope.

The government decided on December 26 to airlift the girl to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore for

further care.

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On December 29, the entire nation got a rude shock when they came to know that the girl was

NO MORE…

Her body was cremated on 30 December 2012 in Delhi under high police security. The government

denied access to the media and the public.

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But her death was not in vain. She had awakened the conscience of all.

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Given different names like Nirbhaya (the fearless one), Jagruti (awareness) and Damini (lightning, after the 1993 Hindi film Damini), she has become a rallying point for fighting for security to women.

Who was Nirbhaya ?

She was born and raised in Delhi while her parents were from a small village in the Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. She had two younger brothers. Her father, who had no savings, sold his agricultural land to educate her. He works for a private company as a loader in Delhi.

Will anything change?

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March 3: A 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her landlord after being forced to consume a drink laced with sedatives at southeast Delhi’s Pul Prahladpur.

March 6: Three persons were arrested for allegedly raping a 22-year-old bar dancer at their flat at Kusumpur Pahari.

How safe are women really?

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Let us put a stop to rapes…

Let us pay a tribute to Nirbhaya and salute her courage, resilience, dignity and determination to live.