Anger spills on to the web

Three women in Delhi have started an online petition signature campaign over the gang rape incident. The petition titled ‘stand sign for a safe Delhi’ had over 300 signatures, and was sent to the Prime Minster’s Office on Wednesday.

“It is disheartening and unacceptable to hear insensitive response from our lady chief minister, who has been quoted in a national daily saying ‘law and order is not in our hands but the transport department will cancel the permits of Whiteline buses’. We are not surprised, but dismayed,” stated the petition.

“The attitude of the state government is outrageous, especially when it is headed by a woman CM who even now is finding it too hard to understand the daily struggles, harassment and violence faced by every woman in this city,” stated the petition.

Three young working women Chitra Nair, Radhika Ralhan and Jot Prakash Hundal started the signature campaign.

“We cannot accept such a callous statement delivered by a responsible and elected representative of the state; this proves the attitude and commitment of the ministers and state that they are shunning off prime responsibilities, and are merely providing hoax assurances to citizens,” said the petition.

Some demands

The petition highlighted some measures that must be adopted by the state and the central government to prevent rapes.

Some of these include tougher rape laws and making it a non-bailable offence, and extending it to all sexual harassment and eve-teasing cases; enhanced frequency of police patrolling, increased incorporation of women police personnel, and deployment of police officers in civilian clothes in public vehicles.