Sea of residents come out in support of rape victims

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 17

The city witnessed a rally never seen before on Tuesday evening as hundreds of residents came out in support of rape victims.

The traffic stopped, so did the onlookers. Such was the echo of the slogans raised by residents that several passersby joined the rally.

It was also probably the first time that apart from members of the several organisation which participated in the rally, people from a cross-section of society and belonging to different faiths also joined in.

Motivated by the Citizens for Justice and Peace Forum Bathinda, residents from all walks of life assembled at Teachers’ Home.

Starting from Teachers’ Home, the rally covered Mehna Chowk, Fauji Chowk, Hanuman Chowk, Mall Road, Fire Brigade Chowk, Railway Road, Hospital Bazar and Dhobi Bazar. The participants then sat at the Fire Brigade Chowk.

Addressing the gathering, Gurpreet, an artiste, recited a few lines from the creations by poets Dushyant Kumar and Rahat Indori and asked for justice to prevail. “Surat Badalni Chahiye… we want society to change. We have come together not for taking out a march, but to demand a change in society, a change in the mindsets of the people and a change in the political setup,” he said.

Dr Neetu Arora also addressed the rally and accused governments of dividing the people along religious lines. “It is not an issue of Hindu or Muslim culprits, it is a matter of safety and security of women in this country. Let us all come together, irrespective of our religions and raise our voice to demand for only justice for the rape victims of Kathua, Unnao, Gujarat, Delhi and other Indian cities. We should urge each other to create an environment which is safe for women,” she said.

“We usually see leaders addressing rallies at chowks but this rally is different. We have not gathered here to gain any political mileage. We have come here because we have girls in our families who do not feel safe when they step out of their homes. If we speak for others, only then they will speak for us,” she added.

“Instead of letting the law prevail, political parties communalised and politicised the rape cases and delayed the issues. We need to come out of the confines of our houses and demand justice for the victims,” said Molly Vashisht, a student of Class XI at St Joseph’s Convent School, who was a part of the rally.

Raising slogans, the rally participants lighted the candles in their hands as they marched peacefully back to Teachers’ Home.

Candlelight march in Faridkot

Faridkot: Demanding justice for rape victims, hundreds of residents participated in a candlelight march organised at Clock Tower Chowk here on Tuesday.

Raising slogans against political parties, the protestors alleged no party had showed zero-tolerance to such heinous crimes, notwithstanding their loud-mouthed claims to the contrary.