Several students, attached to unions joined others at a protest held at Jantar Mantar in Delhi over the alleged rape and murder of a nine-year-old Dalit girl in Delhi Cantonment area. Students' Federation of India (SFI) and Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch (DSMM), along with All India Democratic Women Association (AIDWA) has demanded an end to atrocities against Dalit women.
SFI General Secretary Sumit Kataria spoke about why they had come out to protest during a pandemic. He said, "In many cases before too, we have seen how acts of sexual violence has been instrumentalised as 'punishment' for caste transgressions. We must raise our voice against the ideology which tries to legitimatise these things."
The All India Students' Association (AISA) is demanding action against the police officials who allegedly silenced and harassed the family of the victim under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. AISA National President N Sai Balaji, said, "The family is accusing the police and the administration of silencing them and cremating the body. This is exactly what happened in Hathras."
According to news reports, the victim lived in a rented house in front of a crematorium. It was on Sunday, around 5.30 pm, that she went to get water from a cooler at the crematorium and never came back. Her parents alleged that she was raped and then cremated by the crematorium priest. Police told the media that rape charges have been added in the FIR and four people, including the priest, have been arrested.
