Victim's parents detained again

The parents of the December 16 gang-rape victim were detained for the second time in two days by the Delhi Police after they staged a protest near India Gate on Sunday.

India Gate had come under a security blanket with police and protesters gathering for a face-off after the juvenile convict in the case was released from an observation home.

Police imposed Section 144 (unlawful assembly) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) at India Gate and moved the protesters to Jantar Mantar on Sunday afternoon. But the protesters returned to India Gate and held a candle-light vigil in the evening.

Soon, several police teams were deployed to disperse the protesters, who were shouting slogans against the Central and Delhi governments. The victim’s mother was demanding a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Referring to the release of the juvenile, she said: “He should have been put behind bars....(but he) has been allowed to walk out free, while we, who have suffered, are being chased by police.”

Police, however, maintained that they had only removed the parents for their safety and escorted them back to their house.

The victim’s father also expressed displeasure with the Centre and Delhi governments for showing “helplessness” on the issue.

Protest
“Our governments, whether Centre or state, they only listen to you when you protest and get lathi-charged, else they do not care,” he said.

Meanwhile, the defence lawyer in the case, A P Singh, has stated that the court's verdict of not staying the juvenile’s release should be respected, adding that the hostile environment against him has put his life at risk.

“The matter of this juvenile has been blown so much out of proportion that this juvenile may even be killed. Blowing up the issue may cause some anti-social element to come up and kill the juvenile,” Singh said. He has written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

On Saturday, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit also accused the Delhi government and the DCW of “doing politics” over the issue.

He questioned DCW chairperson’s move to move Supreme Court hours before the juvenile’s scheduled release.

“If you feel that the person should not be released, then you had plenty of time. When it became an emotional issue among people, then you do politics. What was the need to go to the court at 12 in the night when the High Court’s judgment had come 2-3 days ago,” Dikshit said.