The fire, of anguish and dismay with the State machinery, refuses to die in Delhi. Residents of the city re-grouped to raise their voice against crimes against women.

On Wednesday night, the 23-year-old paramedic student, who was gang-raped in a moving bus on the night of December 16, was flown to Singapore for treatment. The Cabinet had agreed to shift the girl with doctors’ permission given her critical condition.

With cries of Tod ke rakh do who samaj, naari jismein dabi ho aaj (Break the shackles of society in which women are oppressed) the group of about 500 people marched from Nizamuddin towards India Gate.

However, the demonstrators were barred from entering Central Delhi as Section 144, barring a gathering of four or more people, was still in effect.

“In the name of masculinity our society has developed a culture of rape and apathy towards women’s safety,” said Eveleen Sidana, a student.

One of the placards read “You can get raped but not protest against rape: World’s largest Democracy.”

Bidisha, from Delhi University, said “What will you achieve by stamping down on protest? It’s a democracy, and people have a right to voice their dissent,” she said.

She added that elected representatives, such as Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, have shown their apathy towards the people by saying that the Government shouldn’t meet the protestors because then they would have to address the concerns of Adivasis too.

“Are they (adivasis) not a part of this country? It is their duty to listen to the problems of the people, every time someone has a problem,” another protestor said.

Meanwhile, President Pranab Mukherjee’s son and Member of Parliament, Abhijeet Mukherjee, also came under harsh criticism for calling the women protesting against sexual crimes “dented and painted.” He even described the protests as nautanki (drama).

Nineteen-year-old Shambhavi Saxena, who was detained by police on December 25 along with at least nine other girls while she was participating at the protest at Jantar Mantar, also attended the march.

Usha Saxena, Shambhavi’s mother, said that while they were both scared and scarred, she decided against stopping her daughter from participating in the protests.

“I am scared, but then I think if she (and others) doesn’t do this now, we will lose whatever opportunity we have to reclaim safe public spaces,” she said.

> aesha.datta@thehindu.co.in

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