New Delhi: Today marks 10 years of the horrific Nirbhaya rape case when a paramedic student was sexually assaulted in a moving bus in south Delhi on December 16, 2012. It's a decade since the incident on the chilly night of December shook the entire nation triggering a nationwide movement that drew attention to the prevalence of sexual violence against women in India.
Almost 10 years have passed by, but the battle for women's safety in the country is far from won. Just two days ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Nirbhaya case, a 17-year-old girl was attacked with acid by two masked motorcycle-borne men in west Delhi's Mohan Garden with police arresting the three accused in connection with the incident.
The parents of Nirbhaya are still haunted by the memories of the incident and what their daughter has to suffer before succumbing to injuries. "In the last 10 years, we do not think anybody except Nirbhaya got justice. No change has come," said Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi. Nirbhaya's father Badri Narayan Singh lamented that women are not safe even today. "Criminals are continuously committing crime," he told PTI. One positive change noticed by Asha Devi is that more sexual assault survivors are now speaking out.
Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal on Friday wrote to the Lok Sabha speaker and Rajya Sabha chairman urging them to suspend the day's business in both houses of Parliament to discuss the issue of women's safety on the 10th anniversary of the gangrape incident, according to the news agency PTI.
"The problem of increasing crimes against women and girls has reached an epidemic proportion and governments are failing to take steps to counter it. Even the Nirbhaya Fund that was set up for providing relief and rehabilitation for women and girls has been reduced substantially," said Maliwal.
Delhi also recorded 13,892 cases of crimes against women in 2021, a significant surge of more than 40 per cent compared to 2020 when the figure was 9,782, according to NCRB data reported news agency PTI.
Nirbhaya Rape Case
The physiotherapy intern, who came to be known as 'Nirbhaya' (fearless) was beaten, gang raped, and tortured in a running bus while returning home in the capital city. She sustained serious injuries to her abdomen, intestines and genitals because of the brutality and the Supreme Court confirmed the insertion of iron rods in the private parts of the victim fortified by the scientific evidence and her dying declaration.
After putting up a brave fight for 13 days, she succumbed to her injury in a hospital in Singapore. The death triggered mass protests and questioning the safety of women and girls.
What happened to the accused?
Six people, including a juvenile, were named as accused. While the juvenile was released in 2015 after spending three years in a correctional home, four convicts were hanged on March 20, 2020. Ram Singh, the sixth accused, allegedly killed himself in Tihar Jail days after the trial began in the case.
Amendment in law
The government was forced to take action due to constant public pressure and raging protests. A high-level committee, the Verma Committee, led by the former Chief of Justice of India, Justice JS Verma, was formed.
The courts’ discretion to give rapists a sentence lesser than the minimum of seven years was abolished. Separate punishments for repeat offenders were also introduced, including the possibility of the death sentence. These recommendations were all introduced into the Indian Penal Code (IPC) through the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 2013. The government brought about harsher penalties for rapists and the death penalty for repeat offenders.
Several sexual offences were included such as stalking and provision for jail sentences for officials who fail to register rape complaints. More CCTV cameras and street lights were installed, and there are centres for rape survivors where they can access legal and medical help.
(With agency inputs)