A 23 year-old woman was stripped, beaten and raped in a moving bus in South Delhi on December 16, 2012, stirring shock and outrage in India.
The victim and her male companion, who was also beaten with an iron rod, were then thrown off the bus, and dumped semi naked near Delhi's Mahipalpur flyover. She is now in the hospital with critical injuries.
The victim, a physiotherapist and her companion, a 28-year-old software engineer, were returning from watching a movie, when they got on to the private luxury bus which was en route to Dwarka. The bus driver along with six others, allegedly gang raped the woman. The police tracked down the bus and have arrested four persons.
Every year hundreds of rapes are registered in Delhi and hundreds more are not reported. In India rape is considered taboo which leads to few cases being registered. This incident has raised a lot of questions regarding public safety in the Indian capital.
The matter has been the talk of the town and was also been addressed in the parliament. But the most buzz was found on social media.
Perhaps Moonmoon Ghosh's Twitter status catches the frustration most:
@mooninanfield (Moonmoon Ghosh): Scary to be a woman in #Delhi. Actually, in whole of India. Sick. http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities
Posters from the Delhi Slutwalk. Image by Rahul Kumar. Copyright Demotix (30/07/2011)
More reactions in Twitter:
@vanithaj: Delhi rape victim intestine and private parts hurt badly-doctors report. Is death punishment right for accused? No, hurt their private parts
@ArvindKejriwal7 (Arvind Kejriwal):635 rapes regd in delhi during 2012. Anyone punished so far? No? Doesn't it encourage such crimes? Each rape case shud be decided in 1 month
@anandmahindra (Anand Mahindra): The right measure of anger has built up in response to the Delhi gangrape. Media&social media need to sustain relentless pressure for action
@JusticeForWomen: #RAPE is not a #DELHI problem. Women and very young girls are raped EVERYDAY and EVERYWHERE in #India – The issue needs NATIONAL focus.
A Woman in Today's India is furious:
This is not the first time it has happened. It will not be the last!
It will happen again, and again, and again, multiple times in a day, across this great, goddess-worshipping nation called India. [..]
Rapes happen in India, because we are a callous nation.
An Indian Homemaker has a lot of questions:
What do you think made these rapists in Delhi so fearless? [..]
Do you think our society really sees rapists as serious criminals? Many of us seem to see rape as something that happens when a rapist is not able to control himself. It seems we have special standards for judging sexual criminals, and rapists know this.
Lakshmi Chaudhry writes:
Each time a sensational rape hits the headlines, each time a politician opens his or her mouth, it is an unwelcome reminder of this other India, of our slower, more dangerous twin that stubbornly refuses to grow or change. It is also irrefutable evidence that it is our world that is not entirely real, existing solely in a carefully guarded bubble built on the delusion of safety. A bubble that can be breached at will by the other India that we try so hard to insulate ourselves from.
Men participating at the Delhi Slutwalk. Image by Rahul Kumar. Copyright Demotix
Ritu Lalit posts an open letter to social activists, law makers and law enforcers. An excerpt:
I would like to draw your attention to the actual downtrodden of our country, our women. Why has the plight of our women escaped your notice? Why cant you froth in the mouth for them? The most public figures among you are women, and they freak about something that happened in 2002!
The Pregnant Thought opines:
The rape culture in delhi was not born yesterday. It is the illegitimate child of our unruly upbringing. Delhi hasn't failed. We have failed.
We have strict laws, we don't have proper implementation. More than stricter laws, we need a more open culture. What kind of culture is this where sex is a bad word, and rape is a norm.
What would it take for us to understand that “to address an issue, you need to undress it”
Wake up. Open up!
46 comments
they should be hanged 2 death
The criminals should be punished by shooting in front of public, amputate their private parts. No imprisonments.
This is again one of the most threatening case in India. What is the gov. doing to save the females from such incidences. These days almost every girl is working and goes out of their place. So does that mean that anyone can keep an eye over them and can rape them…. Now this completely means that Delhi is no-more safe for girls and truly that’s a BIG SHAME for the delhi police and the gov. And giving the punishment, the RAPISTS should not be given a simple hang till death punishment but even worst than that… They must be placed at the centre of India GATE and people should be allowed to show their anger… Not touching the rapists.. but throwing stones, being beaten with the same/similar iron rod that they used to beat the girl and should be given a death as a goat is killed by a BUTCHER… Giving a death either by hanging till death or just shooting them, would be a very simple death for them….. And this punishment should truly be given at the mid of the capital so that no-one else can now even think of doing such a crime…..
WAITING FOR A JUSTICE……………
the girls of India!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All the culprits should be hanged till death.
i agree with deepam paul …who comment…The rapers should not be simply hanged they should be tortured with electric shock, burnt with acid , hot oil , their legs should be beaten by hammers , their hand should be nail down , they should be beaten with hunter until and unless these rapers grant for death and these scene should be shown live through televesion so that no one should ever think for rape in future . This should be capital punishment for rapers.
Delhi rape has become a big issue, ignoring rape in Kashmir on daily basis by Indian soldiers.