Girls protest, cops demand permission

On Monday, a group of young women from Dr S R Chandrashekar Institute of Speech and Hearing marched the stretch of MG Road, to highlight the government’s silence on the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and the lack of political will to bring perpetrators to book.

“We are trying to bring about awareness. Not everybody knows about the numerous rape cases that are making headlines today,” said the protesters, when asked if their initiative will make a difference. “We don’t believe that changing profile pictures and posting statuses online would bring about the change we are asking for. That is why we have taken to the streets, demanding that our voices be heard,” they add.

“We do not want the guilty to roam freely on the streets and lead a normal life. “We could be walking on the same street as them and not be aware of the danger we are in,” said Haritha, a first-year student of the institute.

Interestingly, the protest march by this small group ran into objection from the police. Police asked them to disperse saying they did not have permission to protest.