The political heat emitting from the brutal rape of 5 year old girl child in New Delhi has reached the residence of Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India. Protestors from Aam Aadmi party staged a protest outside the resident of Prime Minister on the issue. They were demanding immediate removal of Police Commissioner of Delhi.
The activists came close to comfort at 7 Race Course, the resident of Manmohan Singh. They even tried entering the residence but were prevented by Rapid Action Force from doing so. This step on part of activists comes after a 2 day protest that ended in vain in front of police headquarters in New Delhi. Many other protestors were stopped at ITO, a busy point in New Delhi.
The scale of protests is not as massive as the nation saw in the wake of brutal rape of Nirbhaya on 16th December. However, common people and politicians have been shaken by the scale of brutality that the accused committed on the 5 year old girl who is still battling for life in AIIMS.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also expressed his deep anguish over the brutal incident and has called for deeper introspection within the society at large to work on the root cause of the problem so that such incidents could be minimized.
Opposition leaders including Sushma Swaraj of BJP have called for radical changes in laws relating to child rape so that the perpetrators of such crimes do not go scot free. However, such incidents are continuing with impunity and rape and molestations are being reported, almost on a daily basis.
Blaming the police will do no good as it was seen in this case when a girl protesting over the incident was slapped by an Assistant Commissioner of Police. The ACP in question was suspended but we as a part of society need to realize that blaming police force will do little for the cause of saving our girl child.
This however does not imply that police force does not need to set its priorities right. Police officers and personnel at the lower edge of the system need to be sensitized on the seriousness of the issue. More women constables need to be introduced in the force, especially in cities like New Delhi which are considered unsafe for women.
Including women constables in the force will instil confidence among women in the city that they can move around safely and can get in touch with police immediately on sensing any trouble. More often it is seen that male constables in the police force are not able to react with utmost precision as and when the incident is reported. This results in uncomfortable situations as happened when the ACP slapped a girl protester. In heightened tense situations, such incidents can boil into a major controversy and take away the seriousness of the incident.
It needs to be seen as to how the Government would be able to react to this challenge and ensure safety of our women.
