Thousands defy protest ban in New Delhi after clash at anti-rape rally
Students chant anti-police slogans
during a protest against the Indian government's reaction to recent
rape incidents in India, on Saturday, December 22, in New Delhi, India.
The demonstration was prompted by wide public outrage over what police
said was the gang-rape and beating of a 23-year-old woman on a moving
bus in the capital last Sunday.
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India rape protest
For a second day,
demonstrators were blasted with water cannons in the Indian capital.
While some dispersed, others huddled tightly in a circle to brave
high-pressure streams in the cold December weather.
"We want justice!" the protesters shouted in chorus.
In addition to banners
and cardboard placards, many demonstrators carried Indian flags as they
scuffled with police. Authorities fired tear gas to try to break up
crowds.
Earlier Sunday,
authorities put up security barriers and banned protests in central New
Delhi to prevent a repeat of clashes that broke out a day earlier.
Saturday's demonstration
was prompted by public outrage over what police said was the gang-rape
and beating of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in the capital on
December 16.
Authorities haven't
released the name of the rape victim, but protesters are calling her
"Damini," which means "lightning" in Hindi.
"Damini" is also a 1993 Bollywood film whose lead female character fights for a housemaid, a victim of a sexual assault.
"We support you Damini. We'll keep fighting for you," a middle-aged woman at the historic India Gate said Sunday.
"Damini wants justice," read a placard at the protest.
Police bundled scores of
young protesters into buses in the Raisina Hill area, home of the India
Gate, the presidential palace, the parliament building and ministerial
offices.
Demonstrators slipped under police vans to deflate tires and prevent them from driving off. Officers dragged them out.
The rape victim's
injuries were so severe she spent days in intensive care in a city
hospital, battling for her life. Police said Saturday that she had
recovered enough to give a statement to a magistrate from her hospital
bed the night before.
Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said up to 35 protesters and nearly 40 police personnel were injured Saturday.
Saturday's furious
protest was just the latest held across the country in the past week,
where official data show that rape cases have jumped almost 875% over
the past 40 years -- from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011.
New Delhi alone reported 572 rapes last year and more than 600 in 2012.
Six suspects, including the bus driver and a minor, have now been arrested in connection with the rape of "Damini."
As fury about the assault gathered pace, some Indian lawmakers called for treating rape as a capital crime.
"We'll work collectively
to see we make a law which is deterrent and preventive," said New
Delhi's chief minister, Sheila Dikshit.
India's Home Minister
Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters Saturday that the government would
work toward increasing punishment in "rarest of the rare" rape cases.
But pressed on whether
the administration would agree to demands for death by hanging in such
instances, he said: "We'll have to see in what way it (the rape
sentencing) can be enhanced."
Shinde said the government was pushing for a speedy trial for the attack.
Authorities are also
taking a number of steps to improve security for women in New Delhi,
particularly on public transport, he said.
"(The) government shares
the widespread concern and support that has been expressed throughout
society for the girl who has so suffered. Government also respects the
right of legitimate protest," Shinde said.
"At the same time, there
is need to exercise calm at this juncture and for everyone to work
together to improve the safety and security environment."
In the meantime, the victim has been promised the best possible medical care, Shinde said.
A physician described
the woman's condition Saturday as better than a day earlier, but said
there was still a risk of infection. She is receiving psychological as
well as medical care, he said.
Following the brutal
assault, the country's human rights body sent notices to city police and
federal authorities, demanding an explanation.
"The incident has raised
the issue of declining public confidence in the law and order machinery
in the city, especially in its capacity to ensure safety of women, as a
number of such incidents have been reported in the national capital in
the recent past," the National Human Rights Commission said in a
statement Tuesday.
Home Secretary R. K. Singh announced the suspension of five police officers in the wake of the rape.
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