The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress party, organized a candle march in New Delhi on Tuesday to protest the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl on a moving sleeper bus near Kashmere Gate.
The NSUI stated on X that the demonstration demanded justice for the victim and strict action against the perpetrators. It also criticized the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Delhi, accusing it of failing to ensure women’s safety despite its public assurances.
“The rape incident involving a 16-year-old student in the country’s capital, Delhi, has shamed humanity. Today, NSUI held a candle march demanding justice for the victim and strict action against the culprits. The BJP government’s grand claims on women’s safety are proving hollow, when even the daughters of Delhi are not safe,” the NSUI said.
Other civil society groups joined the protest. Members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) held a march titled ‘Women Reclaim the Night,’ calling for tangible measures to improve women’s safety. An SFI member told ANI that although women constitute 50% of the population, very few feel safe going out at night.
The SFI member also linked the protest to the hostile environment surrounding the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, alleging that hooliganism fueled by money and muscle power creates insecurity for women. “This protest is called ‘Women Reclaim the Night’. Women make up 50% of the population, yet we do not even have one percent of the right to step out safely at night. When we do venture out to claim that right, we are often stopped right at the start. Even if we do manage to go out, it is extremely unsafe for us. We face horrific incidents… This protest is taking place at Delhi University because of the atmosphere that develops during DUSU elections–an environment This makes women feel unsafe and poses a threat to our security. We are reclaiming this campus from you. we have as much right to it as you do, and we will ensure that everyone here remains safe…”
Earlier reports stated that the 16-year-old victim, a Class 11 student from Mainpuri district, Uttar Pradesh, was allegedly gang-raped aboard a moving sleeper bus that traveled almost 47 kilometers across the National Capital Region before the suspects abandoned her near Kashmere Gate bus terminal on the night of August 4.
Police arrested the bus driver, Kuldeep, and conductor, Sandeep, in connection with the case. According to the victim, after she resisted, the accused raped her and threatened to kill her. They dropped her on the Ring Road near Kashmere Gate late at night and fled. The victim reported the incident to Kashmere Gate police, who apprehended both accused at a bus parking lot in Timarpur and seized the sleeper bus used in the crime.
In response, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognizance of the incident. The NHRC has issued notices to the Police Commissioners of Delhi and Gautam Budh Nagar and the Mainpuri Superintendent of Police, requesting detailed reports within two weeks. These are to include the status of the investigation and any compensation paid to the victim.
The NHRC stated that if media allegations are verified, the case raises serious human rights violations.