BENGALURU: Men and women, including college students in black, protested at the Town Hall here on Monday demanding justice for the eight-year-old girl, who was raped and murdered in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir, recently.
Protesters hadn't taken permission from the police that briefly had them questioned by the cops. They also resorted to sloganeering that is not allowed under the model code of conduct.
The protesters lauded the bravery of Deepika Rawat, the lawyer representing the minor's family, who is fighting the case despite death threats.
Donna Fernandes, secretary, Vimochana, a women's rights organisation, which organised the protest said, "It is heartening to see spontaneous protests everywhere without organising. This is a signal to the political class that such impunity will not be tolerated in the country. The accused are people in positions of power. Accused BJP MLAs are giving interviews on news channels. Why is the Supreme Court not taking suo motu cognisance of such blatant injustice?"
Gowri from Mahila Mundade said, "If the BJP really sympathises with the victim, why are its female representatives in the state silent? Where is Shobha Karandlaje or Malavika Avinash? Why aren't they condemning this in public? What are they scared of?"
Gurumurthy, an engineering graduate and member, Karnataka Vidyarthi Sanghatne, said, "Why did people use slogans like Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Jai Sri Ram in support of the accused? How are the two related? What took the Prime Minister so long to say that action will be taken?"
The protesters later held lit candles and sought speedy trials in such cases.
Women's rights organisations like Vimochana and Mahila Munnade, Muslim organisations like AIKMCC and Federation of Karnataka Muslim Associations, Christian associations like Young Women's Christian Association, students' organisations like Karnataka Vidyarthi Sanghatne, Movement for Justice, Karnataka Jana Shakthi, Human Rights Defenders Alert, All India Network of Individuals & NGOs , Amnesty International, Asra, Global Concerns, Best Practices Foundation, and students from St Joseph's and St Aloysius College took part in the protest.
Earlier on Sunday, people from across the city had held candlelight vigils and march as a part of the nationwide protest.