The mood at Raisina Hill, the place which houses the power centres — the Prime Ministers Office, and the ministries of Home, Defence, and Finance — and leads to the Rashtrapati Bhavan was of anger and distress as the citizens sought justice.
In a show of strength, of solidarity, the people of Delhi have come together as one, to protest against the rising incidences of violence against women across the country.
Reflecting the anger and dismay, people from all walks of life came together against the Government and police inaction following the horrific gang-rape of a 23-year-old paramedic student on a running bus in Delhi on Sunday night.
The crowd’s calls for justice reverberated across various groups that joined the protests, which first started on Tuesday. The demand for answers has picked up over the last few days.
While the demonstration largely consisted of student bodies such as the All-India Students’ Association and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, as well as unaffiliated youngsters, many other citizens also joined the spontaneous protest.
The Aam Aadmi Party and some NGOs also marked their presence in the crowd.
Undeterred by lathi-charge, teargas and water cannons, the protestors called not just for justice but also for response from UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, raising slogans asking “Where is Rahul Gandhi?”
They also called for the State to do away with the pacifist treatment of such crimes and criminals and raised slogans calling for capital punishment. However, some other groups stood staunchly against death for rapists and called for other punishments such as chemical castration.
In a sea of white-hot anger, right in the centre of the agitated protestors, a group of students formed an island of mute protest, holding candles and placards calling for an end to violence against women, but against capital punishment.
In a strong message, one poster read, “Wherever I go, Whatever I wear, Yes means yes, No means no.”