ABVP demands fast-track justice for Unnao rape survivor, left student groups call it eyewash

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad's JNU faction has condemned the attack on the Unnao rape survivor calling it "abhorrent and sad". The ABVP members of Delhi University are also planning to organise a candlelight march in solidarity with the victim. 

"The (Unnao) incident has once again brought to light that our justice system needs to speed up criminal proceedings like these and that they need paradigm reforms along with strict regulation of the police reforms. The age-old system of police administration has pathetically failed to serve justice to the rape survivor of Unnao," said Abhijeet, a PhD scholar at JNU and an ABVP member.

Siddharth Yadav, the Delhi State Secretary of ABVP said that India needs to empower women and that would be a major step towards achieving a safe environment for women in this country. "ABVP has always been advocating for women's safety and has emphasised on the fact that it is a priority," said Siddharth. "We have been there for Nirbhaya's parents as well and we strongly suggest that issues of women's security be taken up by the concerned authorities at the earliest," he added.

But some of the other student organisations think that ABVP's protests are just an eyewash to avoid backlash from students. Kawalpreet Kaur, the President of All India Students' Association (AISA) said that ABVP has not once mentioned that Sengar was a BJP MLA in any of its pamphlets or press releases. "They have not once mentioned that BJP took four years to kick him out of the party or how MP Pragya Thakur went to thank him in jail for his vote," said Kawalpreet.

But the CBI has already filed four cases against the accused MLA, along with filling of charge sheet in two cases — the rape and abduction of the rape survivors and the murder of the father of the rape survivor in custody, argued Abhijeet. "Once the charge sheet is filed it is up to the justice system to determine how much time it would take," he said. "And that is what we want to be sped up. The delivery of justice takes a long time in India," he added.

The ABVP demanded that the "Unnao rape case must be tried in a fast-track mode, the other cases of associated but equally heinous crimes, in this case, to ensure fair justice must be expeditiously tried and the security, safety, and well-being of the family of rape survivor must be appropriately taken care of".