JOIN USCM slammed over safety
A 51-year-old Danish woman kept shouting for help for three hours as she was being gang raped at knifepoint near New Delhi railway station, but neither Delhi Police or Railway Protection Force came to her rescue.
Social activists say it shows the capital continues to remain unsafe for woman despite promises by the new state government led by Arvind Kejriwal and tightened security ahead of the Republic Day.
Social activist Annie Raja said a mere change in the government will not ensure safety of women, and asked the city government take such incidents seriously.
“What is needed is strong action and strong priority by the government that they will take these cases seriously. Any sensible government will not allow such incidents; they will jump into action,” she added.
Security has been tightened around Connaught Place ahead of Republic Day and there is Delhi Police presence near New Delhi railway station and Connaught Place, but no security personnel were at the Railway Officers Club on State Entry Road.
The main gates of the club were also kept open on Tuesday as a tent house employees were there to remove a tent put up for Lohri celebrations on Monday.
Unmanned gates
There are several railway offices, clubs and guesthouses on State Entry Road and Railway Protection Force are also being blamed for lack of security arrangements.
“As entry is barred for outsiders at the club, the accused are suspected to be vagabonds. They may have gone inside the club premises taking advantage of the gates being open,” a source said.
An initial probe revealed that not many CCTV cameras are installed on the railway premises, on the road and not at all on the main gates.
Police said the incident may have been prevented if the gates were guarded. Northern Railway spokesperson Neeraj Sharma said that security guards were deployed at the gates.
They were detained for questioning by police on Wednesday, but denied having seen any women on the premises.
But the woman told police that the accused also took her jeans and she was forced to leave the spot wearing some cloth left behind by one of the accused.
NCW concern
National Commission for Women chairperson Mamta Sharma asked Kejriwal to take steps to ensure safety of women, adding that repeated incidents send out a very bad image of the country.
“The message that is going out is very bad for the nation. Arvind Kejriwal has made a promise that his party will ensure women safety first. I feel water and electricity are secondary issues; women’s security must be their prime concern,” she said.
On December 28, 2013 Kejriwal had held a meeting with Delhi Police Commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi where he expressed concern over women’s security.
Bassi had told Kejriwal that all steps would be taken to ensure the vulnerable sections are safe.
A chargesheet in the case will be filed within 20 days. According to police, 1,559 cases of rape were registered in 2013 against 680 in 2012, a rise of 129.26 per cent.