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New Delhi: The
brutal sexual assault on a five-year-old girl here has again
brought protestors out on the streets, with crowds assembling at
various places, including Police Headquarters, AIIMS and
residences of Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Congress chief
Sonia Gandhi.
The protests started in the morning at Police Headquarters near
ITO with members of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Students Federation of
India (SFI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)
demanding resignation of Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar.
They were also joined by members of several women groups.
The protestors, numbering over 300, contended that Neeraj Kumar
had failed to tackle rape crimes in the city. They also demanding
death penalty to accused Manoj Kumar, who was arrested in Bihar's
Muzaffarpur early Saturday.
Some of the protestors sought to enter the police headquarters but
were stopped. A police official said one protestor, who entered
the headquarters forcibly, had been detained.
More than 200 police personnel, including women officers, were
stationed near the police headquarters and were equipped with
water canons and tear gas to deal with the situation.
Police officials said they had requested people to protest
peacefully.
Slamming the government, a protestor said that it makes laws but
doesn't ensure their implementation. "... and we see rapes
increasing by the day," he said.
Sucheita, an activist of the ultra-left All India Student
Association, called for strict laws and improvement in police's
functioning.
Kavita Krishanan, secretary of All India Progressive Women's
Association, said case should be registered against the three
police officials who had been suspended and they should be
arrested.
"The government should clarify over delay in probe of the matter,"
she said.
A young protestor told IANS that police appeared to have not
learnt any lessons after the Dec 16 gang-rape that shocked the
country.
"We hear of two or three incidents each day. How long will this
continue? The accused must be punished and police must be pushed
to be more vigilant," he said.
Protestors also thronged the All India Institute of Medical
Sciences (AIIMS) where the five-year-old victim is under
treatment, and then gathered outside Shinde's residence, giving
police a tough time.
Protestors were able to bring down some barricades but were
prevented from entering Shinde's house by police who were present
in sizeable numbers.
"If there is so much security outside home minister's residence,
where will be police to keep women safe on streets," an AAP member
told IANS.
Around 20 protestors also reached the 10 Janpath residence of
Gandhi to lodge their protest but
policemen asked them to leave.
Gandhi Nagar area in east Delhi, where the incident occurred, also
witnessed protests and several shops were closed till the evening.
Residents protested outside the Gandhi Nagar police station and
burnt effigies of Delhi police commissioner.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police imposed prohibitory orders at the India
Gate area, ahead of a candlelight march called by the Aam Aadmi
Party and several NGOs.
The city had witnessed protests Friday too.
The five-year-old girl was abducted April 15 and kept hostage for
two days without food and water in a room in which accused Manoj
Kumar lived. She was rescued Wednesday when her family, who lived
in the same building, heard her screams.
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Delhi's Shame
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