New Delhi: It has been 12 years since the tragic Nirbhaya incident in Delhi, but crimes against women continue to rise in the capital. On the anniversary of the brutal gang rape, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is organising a 'Mahila Adalat' to address the issue of women's safety in the national capital.
The event will be attended by AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav. Discussions will focus on the deteriorating law and order situation in the city and the persistent threat to women's safety. On the night of December 16, 2012, Nirbhaya, a 23-year-old paramedical student, was gang-raped by six men in a moving bus. The horrifying crime shook the nation. On December 27, 2012, Nirbhaya was admitted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore for treatment. On December 29, the victim died while undergoing treatment in Singapore and the body was brought back to Delhi.
The six convicts in the case were identified as Ram Singh (the bus driver), his brother Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta, Akshay Kumar Singh and a minor. Ram Singh died in Tihar Jail under suspicious circumstances on March 11, 2013, with his family alleging murder, while the juvenile was sentenced to three years in a correctional facility. On March 20, 2020, the remaining four adult convicts were executed by hanging.
Despite the justice served to the convicts, the pain of the incident lingers, especially for Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi, who fought tirelessly for justice. In an earlier statement, Asha Devi said that she will continue to fight until women in this country feel safe.
On the anniversary of Nirbhaya's death, Kejriwal and Yadav will join forces at the Mahila Adalat to discuss how women's safety can be improved and what more needs to be done to tackle the escalating violence against women in Delhi.
The Nirbhaya case led to a nationwide outcry and significant changes in laws related to sexual violence. Despite the introduction of stricter laws, however, Delhi has continued to witness an alarming number of crimes against women. A report from the Delhi Women's Commission (DCW) highlighted these concerns, revealing that in eight years, the Commission counselled 60,751 victims of sexual harassment.
"The increase in sexual violence in Delhi is a matter of grave concern. We have assisted victims in over 2,00,000 hearings, but the problem persists, said Swati Maliwal, former DCW chairperson. The ongoing violence against women continues to raise questions about the effectiveness of current laws and the steps authorities must take to prevent such brutal incidents from recurring.
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