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| Delhi gang-rape provoked nationwide outrage [Photo©news.BDTV.in] |
New Delhi: Many across India canceled festive New Year's Eve and New Year
celebrations out of respect for the 23-year-old braveheart girl who succumbed to her injuries after a
brutal gang rape followed by 13 days of treatment in India and abroad .
The unidentified victim, a 23-year-old Para-medical student,
died Saturday from severe internal injuries that her assailants caused with a
metal rod during the attack on a bus two weeks ago.
Six men have been
arrested and charged with murder in the December 16 attack in New Delhi. If
convicted, they could face the death penalty.
Reflecting the country's somber mood, hotels, clubs, India's
military and even the head of the ruling Congress Party, Sonia Gandhi, called
off their parties to greet the New Year. Many have joined candlelight vigils in
the capital and other major cities. Others have chosen to protest peacefully,
in contrast to the violent demonstrations that erupted in New Delhi a week ago.
Debate sparked
The woman's death has set off a debate about what India
needs to do to protect women. Issues such as rape, dowry-related deaths and female
infanticide rarely enter mainstream political discourse in India.
Protesters and politicians have called for tougher rape
laws, major police reforms and a transformation in the way the nation treats
women.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main opposition party, has
called for a special session of parliament to discuss the issues and to amend
legislation.
However, BJP lawmaker Banwari Lal Singhal has called for a
ban on skirts as part of school uniforms. He said he wants the girls to wear
pants because a new dress code would keep girls "away from the lustful
gazes of men."
Mamata Sharma, the Chairperson of the National Commission
for Women, slammed the legislator for his remarks, saying instead of changing
the dress code of the girls, he should ask men to change their attitudes and
treat both sexes equally.
Action demanded
Human Rights Watch said the gang rape "should spur
decisive action" by the Indian government.
Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW's South Asia director, said the
Indian government needs to act immediately to prevent sexual assault and ensure
the dignified treatment of survivors.
The outcry over the attack caught the Indian government off
guard. It took a week for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make a statement on
the case, infuriating many protesters.
The woman is reported to have accepted a ride with a male
companion on a charter bus in New Delhi where the six men on board beat them
both with an iron rod. The woman was raped repeatedly. Reports say the rod was
used in the rape. The woman and her friend were then thrown from the moving
vehicle. The male friend survived the attack.