December 22, 2012

CLASHES BREAK OUT IN INDIA AT A PROTEST OVER A RAPE CASE

[Outrage over the crime has continued to build across the country and the protesters in New Delhi promised to return in even greater numbers on Sunday, prompting Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to hold a news conference on Saturday night to plead for calm.]


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NEW DELHI — Thousands of protesters streamed into the heart of New Delhi on Saturday to demand justice and better policing in the wake of the brutal rape of a 23-year-old medical student.
Protesters scuffled with the police throughout the day. Some police vehicles were damaged, and the police eventually used tear gas, water cannons and sticks to disperse the crowd. Officials said 35 protesters and 37 police officers had been injured, two officers seriously, and that six buses and several police vehicles were damaged.
Outrage over the crime has continued to build across the country and the protesters in New Delhi promised to return in even greater numbers on Sunday, prompting Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to hold a news conference on Saturday night to plead for calm.
“The government is committed to ensuring the safety of women in the capital as well as in the rest of the country,” Mr. Shinde said. “I appeal to this media, to all those who have come to support this dedication, to withdraw.”
Mr. Shinde listed four steps the government would take immediately to improve security in New Delhi: increase the number of buses at night, track those buses with GPS devices, ensure drivers carry identity badges and increase the number of police officers on busy routes.
The police have arrested six suspects and Mr. Shinde said that the victim had given a statement to a magistrate on Friday night, and that the government had enough evidence to prosecute.
The woman was raped on Dec. 16 after she boarded a private bus with her boyfriend. A group of men onboard the bus, normally used to ferry schoolchildren, beat the couple with iron rods and raped the woman. The men then dumped them by the roadside.
The woman has had several rounds of surgery and a portion of her intestines had to be removed, doctors said. Mr. Shinde also said the government had canceled all permits for the transportation company that owns the bus on which the rape occurred. At the protest, people chanted “We want justice!” and held placards that said “Save Women Save India.”
“These rapists should be hanged publicly,” said Shaelly Tomar, a student at Delhi University who took part in the protest with several friends. “If that happens, nobody will dare to do it again.”
Tens of thousands of rapes are reported each year in India, while many more go unreported because rape victims are often shunned and unable to marry. Even so, reports of rape are on the rise, up about 25 percent in the past six years. Surveys have suggested that India is one of the most unsafe countries in the world for women.
The roots of the problem run deep in a conservative society that is having trouble adjusting to educational and economic advances by women, long confined to the home. Demographics also play a role, with half of India’s population under 25 and female infanticide and the neglect of girls creating a growing gender imbalance.
But India’s criminal justice system, riddled with incompetence, corruption and political meddling, seems unable to respond effectively.

Heather Timmons contributed reporting.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj called for a special session of Parliament. “I requested the Prime Minister for a special session of Parliament to frame a law to provide for exemplary punishment for crimes against women,” Swaraj tweeted. “Prime Minister said he will consider this suggestion.” 
Express news service : New Delhi,
In the face of widespread protests against the gangrape of the 23-year-old in the city, the Centre on Saturday announced that an inquiry commission would be set up to “review responses to this shocking crime and to suggest measures to improve the safety and security of women in the capital”.
Addressing a press conference, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said the government will also “take immediate steps for the amendment of the criminal law for enhanced and more effective punishment in the rarest of the rare cases of sexual assault such as this”. He added that “this is a matter which needs discussion in detail”.
Earlier in the day, Shinde met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who directed him to ensure a “sense of security” in the capital. Congress president Sonia Gandhi also spoke to the PM and sought strict and immediate action in the case.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj called for a special session of Parliament. “I requested the Prime Minister for a special session of Parliament to frame a law to provide for exemplary punishment for crimes against women,” Swaraj tweeted. “Prime Minister said he will consider this suggestion.”
Assuring a “speedy trial through a fast-track court on a day-to-day basis”, Shinde said the Delhi police had suspended five personnel for “minor lapses”.
“Prompt action has also been taken against the transporter whose bus was used for this heinous crime. Permits for all the nine vehicles owned by this transporter have been cancelled,” he said.
Appealing for “calm”, Shinde, who met some representatives of the protestors, said he would order an inquiry into the action taken against them by the Delhi Police. “I am also feeling bad about it. They had come to show their solidarity,” he said, while appealing that the protests be called off.
L K Advani also spoke to Shinde to express concern over police action on protestors. “I told him that we should appreciate their concern and their anger is justified,” said Advani.
“The PM ought to have spoken to them (protestors)... BJP condemns the police action outright,” added party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.
“Till the time, I am in the home ministry, I will travel in buses every month and ensure safety of women,” said Minister of State R P N Singh.
Stating that the CPI(M) was not opposed to the demand for a special session, party leader Sitaram Yechury added that “without overhauling the delivery of justice system, even strong laws would be meaningless.”
CPI leader D Raja said: “If the PM can address the nation on the issue of allowing FDI in retail, why can’t he find time to do so when such horrendous crimes against women are taking place.”
@ The Indian Express