Public Pressure Mounts Over India's Anti-Rape Law Standstill

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The Indian government is under fire from all political sides, after the cabinet level anti-rape law discussions stalled when interior and law ministries failed to reach a consensus in key areas.

The federal government requested the Justice Verma Committee to recommend changes in the laws that deal with crimes against women, in the wake of nationwide protests in the aftermath of the Delhi gang rape.

The panel recommended increasing the penalty from 7 years to 20 years, but stopped short of suggesting the death penalty.

According to media reports, the interior ministry and the law ministry are at an impasse over the issue of lowering the age of consent and the use of the word “rape”. It's been reported that the interior ministry wants the age of consent to be lowered from 18 to 16, but no consensus was achieved.

Speaking to media outside parliament, veteran Bollywood actress and lawmaker Jaya Bachchan stressed the accused had committed a criminal offence, regardless of their age.

[Jaya Bachchan, Veteran Actress and Lawmaker]:
"Whether the age is 18 or 16, of course they have loaded, that's what the Justice Verma has recommended. I appreciate that they have accepted his verdict, but the thing is, it is a criminal act and it should be judged as a criminal act and not just a rape."

In Mumbai city the leader of the main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, had harsh words of criticism for the impasse between the two ministries.

[Shaina NC, Leader of Bharatiya Janata Party]:
"It's an absolute paradox that you have the home (interior) ministry and the law ministry still debating on whether this bill should be passed or not. I think time is running out, the nation feels the anxiety, we have rape after rape. Unless there is fear of law, we will see these perpetrators of law continue."

New Delhi, with a burgeoning population of 16 million, has the unsavory reputation of being the country's “rape capital”, recording more rapes annually than any other Indian city.

Source: http://ntdtv.org/en/news/world/asia/2013-03-09/public-pressure-mounts-over-india-s-anti-rape-law-standstill.html

Timothy Spangler: India rape rage renewed

Delhi : Attack on girl, 7, rekindles outrage sparked by lethal assault on woman bus rider.

By TIMOTHY SPANGLER / For the Register

Violence has returned to the Indian capital, New Delhi. The alleged rape of a 7-year-old girl at her school has caused frustrated Indians to again vent their anger. Rampant violence against women remains a high-profile issue in the country.

The attack occurred in a working-class neighborhood, Mangolpuri, where schools often lack basic facilities. Police detained two teachers and a security guard in connection with these allegations. An examining doctor stated that the girl's injuries were consistent with having been raped. Residents of Mangolpuri launched violent protests.

Delhi police officers patrol on a road scattered with shattered glass during a protest against the rape of a 7-year-old girl in New Delhi, India, March 1, 2013. Police are investigating the rape inside a state-run school in the Indian capital. Angry mobs gathered at the hospital and threw stones at a nearby bus, shattering its windows.

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This latest atrocity comes at a time when Indians are increasingly concerned that their government is systematically failing to protect women. The vicious gang rape and murder in December of Jyoti Singh Pandey, 23, attacked while riding a bus in New Delhi, attracted global news coverage. Six men are being tried for the attack.

Stories of other attacks quickly filled Indian newspapers and websites. In a particularly gruesome incident last month, the bodies of three sisters, ages 6, 9 and 11, were found dumped in a well in Maharashtra state; each had been raped. It is believed that they were lured to their deaths with promises of food. Police initially stated that the deaths were accidental.

As a result of these atrocities, the issue of violence against women is gaining momentum as a public policy priority. Politicians are scrambling to be seen as reacting to these widespread concerns. In response to the rape of the 7-year-old student, New Delhi's governor has ordered that security around government schools be increased.

Unfortunately, although many proposals for improving laws to better protect women have been suggested since the horrific bus rape case first drove these concerns to the top of the legislative agenda, only a handful of changes have occurred. For example, a drive to criminalize rape within marriage so far has failed.

India is a colorful and vibrant country, but it is also a violent, dangerous place, especially for women. Prior to Jyoti's death, allegations of rape often resulted in few arrests and fewer convictions. In a particularly outrageous example last year, a schoolgirl was attacked on the street by approximately 50 men. Despite video footage of the sexual assaults, few of those identified in the video were arrested.

The media storm that erupted in December around Jyoti, however, has changed that, at least for awhile. Perhaps when these earlier attacks were restricted to impoverished communities or to migrants, they were easier for the Indian establishment to dismiss or ignore. Jyoti's rape and murder were different, occurring in a more affluent neighborhood. It suddenly became crystal-clear that there were no safe havens.

Changes in attitude concerning women and their roles in society are slowing occurring across India. As a result, celebrities advocating for change must do battle with staunch supporters of older, traditional ways.

The threats facing women are well-known to most in India, and until now have been accepted as an unavoidable and inevitable feature of Indian life. For example, India lacks an effective means to protect its children. Unsurprisingly, girls are disproportionately at risk, especially those whose lives are ground down by poverty and want.

Since December, many of the widespread assumptions about the place of women in Indian life and society are being questioned. Each subsequent story of sexual assault adds to the momentum that these debates have been building over the past three months. In both traditional and new media, these arguments are being made louder and louder. There is a growing recognition that significant changes are needed in order to ensure women's rights are respected.

India is undergoing extensive and fundamental changes, as economic development and high growth rates transform daily life. But the benefits of prosperity are not evenly spread between cities and rural areas, or between the upper classes and the working classes. Instead, grinding poverty exists alongside vast wealth. As a result, many Indians are enraged by the failure of public institutions to address the problems they face.

While India engages in a costly space race with its economic rival China, problems for its citizens continue to build. In the 1960s, the U.S. was able to fund both its quest to put a man on the moon and the "war on poverty" at the heart of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society agenda because it had an economic growth rate adequate to support such grand endeavors. Of course, valid arguments could be made about the lasting impact of either program in contemporary America.

Today, India has the resources to make these concerns over violence against women a top priority. The attack on the 7-year-old schoolgirl in New Delhi is one more example of the high cost ultimately paid when those most vulnerable in society are left exposed and unprotected.

Orange County writer and attorney Timothy Spangler hosts "The Bigger Picture with Timothy Spangler," Sundays, 10 p.m.-midnight on KRLA 870/AM.

Source: http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/women-498809-india-rape.html

Women's Day: Raped India--Which rape horror to report?

Written by: Maitreyee      Published: Friday, March 8, 2013, 13:00 [IST]


It was something unseen and unheard before, when protesters stood firm on their feet against police brutalities and expressed their anger and dismay over rise in crime against women in the national capital. It was just few months back. It was December, when the horrific Delhi gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus woke up all from their slumber. They came out on the streets and demanded strictest of punishment against rapists. Government bowed under pressure and formed the Justice JS Verma committee to come up with strict laws against sexual assault. But, now due to differences of opinion regarding the use of words "rape" or "sexual assault", the passage of anti-rape law in the Parliament has been delayed. Is dealing with crime against women only about bringing strict laws? Or enforcement of existing laws? Government's attempt to portray the image that it is serious to tackle the issue of rape against women is like "putting old wine in a new bottle". India does not needs new laws to tackle rising numbers of sex attacks on women. It needs stricter implementation of existing laws. 

Why are rapists given just few years of imprisonment and set free? Why is death penalty not considered to punish those culprits who perpetrate such heinous crime? Otherwise, if government has been serious enough, the rise in number of rape cases would have been curtailed after the horrific Delhi gang-rape and the protests that followed it. But, unfortunately their is no dip in the number of rape cases reported every day. Be it the rape and murder of three minor siblings in Bhandara or last night's attack on a woman journalist in the national capital. Everyday shame and horror greet India. And, most of the cases remain unsolved. Disappointing news headlines often scream that there are no headway or breakthrough in solving cases. And, those few who are caught by the police manage to escape without getting any punishment or jail for few years. 

Times are difficult. And, in such situations, harsher punishment should be given to culprits who engage in such ghastly crime. Otherwise, where is the fear to deter men from committing crime like rapes? Perhaps there is no fear in the minds of pervert people who violate women's dignity. That is why rape accused Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson PJ Kurien is adamant enough not to leave his post, in spite of repeated demands from the opposition. The story of Suryanelli gang-rape victim is a perfect example how easily powerful people can get away by committing crimes.

 It has been more than 16 years and the victim is still waiting for justice. In 1996, a group of around 40 men raped a 16-year-old school-going girl for 40 days. The victim, who is now 33 years of age, says that Kurien was also involved in raping her. The victim has named Kurien as one of the accused in the horrific incident. Like Suryanelli victim many women in India are waiting for justice, and yes many are afraid that they too might be raped and have to suffer for their whole life. Where is justice in India for women? International women's day is nothing but a sham for Indian women.


Read more at: http://news.oneindia.in/feature/2013/womens-day-raped-india-which-rape-horror-to-report-1166746.html

Further attacks on women in Delhi raise doubts over crackdown Incidents follow measures such as fast-track courts after gang rape and murder of student sparked outcry

• Jason Burke in Delhi
• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 7 March 2013 13.17 GMT

Indian women protest in New Delhi after the gang rape and murder of a student in December. Photograph: Dar Yasin/AP

A recent spate of attacks on women in Delhi has renewed fears over the safety of women in the Indian capital and raised doubts over the efficacy of reforms introduced since the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in the city last December.

Two women are reported to have been raped by multiple attackers in moving cars in separate incidents in recent days. A third woman was robbed and then raped by two men after taking a motorised rickshaw in the satellite city of Ghaziabad at the weekend.

Four victims under 18 were also assaulted in incidents reported to the police over the past four days, according to local media. Only a fraction of such attacks are ever reported in India.

The gang rape and murder in December shocked the nation. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in India calling for widespread legal and policing reforms as well as a wholesale shift in cultural attitudes towards women.

A series of measures – such as fast-track courts for sex crimes, harsher punishments for convicted offenders and gender training for policemen – have been introduced since the attack by authorities. The government was heavily criticised for its early lack of sympathy for protesters.

The finance minister last week announced a new fund of £120m to improve the safety and empowerment of India's women.

But reporting a 124% rise in reported rape cases in Delhi since the attack and a nearly sixfold rise in cases of harassment, the Hindustan Times newspaper said "the harsh reality is Delhi hasn't changed for the better, it has become worse".

Police officials say the rise is the result of officers taking complaints more seriously and a broader awareness in the city of what constitutes harassment. Five men and a juvenile are on trial for the attack on the student in December, which took place in a private bus moving on crowded roads on a Sunday evening.

The adults accused face the death sentence if convicted. Experts have suggested a variety of causes for the new wave of violence against women ranging from stereotypes of aggressive masculinity projected by Bollywood films to a clash of cultures as millions of men raised in rural areas arrive in cities where women enjoy greater freedoms. Conservatives blamed "westernisation", opposing a broadly rural, supposedly authentic India with an increasingly urban, globalised one.

Recent research in Delhi has revealed more mundane causes for high levels of violence and harassment. The lack of safe public transport in Indian cities is one major factor with "eve teasing", as sexual harassment is euphemistically known, endemic on overcrowded buses. A lack of toilet facilities in slum areas which forces tens of millions of women to use open ground at night is another.

A commission set up to examine possible measures to combat the wave of violence against women received tens of thousands of suggestions from the general public. In the southern state of Kerala officials areconsidering the distribution of "electronic bangles" which could send a signal to the nearest police station in the event of an assault.

There are some signs of change. Jason Temasfeld, an activist campaigning against sexual harassment in India's commercial capital of Mumbai, said there had been a "drastic change" in awareness in recent months. "Women know much more what to do and about their rights. And other people are much more vocal in reacting to harassment when they witness it. Even the police are more responsive," he told the Guardian.

The victim of the December attack was dubbed "Nirbhaya" or "the fearless one" by media in India for fighting back during the assault and for recording a statement despite massive internal injuries before she died. She will be posthumously awarded the US state department's international women of courage award on Friday by Michelle Obama, it was announced earlier this week.

19-yr-old school girl gangraped in moving auto

GHAZIABAD: When she flagged down a share auto-rickshaw, little did she know that she would be gagged, beaten, gang-raped, robbed and then dumped by three men near the busy Shipra Mall, an important landmark in Indirapuram. 

The 19-year-old woman did not feel uncomfortable to get into a shared auto-rickshaw, as it's a common practice in the area.

The men who raped the woman later confessed to the police that had stolen the vehicle.

NDTV quoted the woman saying that she cried for help for two hours but no one came forward to help her.

The channel also says that the auto rickshaw passed through six police posts.

Two of the three men involved in the incident have been arrested. "All three are in their twenties," Superintendent of Police Ghaziabad rural Jagdish Sharma said.

The class 12 student, who was raped by three men, had fought hard to save herself from her assailants, police here said.

Police claim the victim, who was on her way home after meeting a friend, was forced by two of the men - who posed as passengers - to sit between them. They gagged her once the vehicle developed some mechanical fault near Khoda colony, 2 km from the mall, and stopped.

Fault taken care of, the three-wheeler sped towards Ghaziabad city. And once it reached Galand, the men dragged the woman out, beat her up when she resisted, and then took turns to rape her, a police officer told HT.

Around 10.30pm, the three men fled the spot, but only after they had robbed the victim of whatever cash she had on her person and her mobile phone.

In her statement to the police, the girl mentioned that the rod on the window had broken; she also informed them that the vehicle had a black tarpaulin sheet that covered the windows and served as a curtain of sorts.

The girl had earlier resisted a diversion in the route of the vehicle - while the men had initially told her they were headed towards Delhi, they later took a U-turn and drove in the opposite direction.

When the girl questioned the change of direction in the vehicle, two of the men sat beside her and gagged her.

After raping her in the vehicle, the men dragged the 19-year-old out into the fields near Bankey Bihari Dental College and again raped her, taking turns. 

The vehicle's owner, Prem Singh, said three men in an inebriated condition had taken the vehicle from its driver, Pintu, in broad daylight on March 2.

The men had been driving to Delhi in the vehicle, and had stopped at Khoda for some repairs to the tempo. At around 8.30 p.m., they were near Shipra Mall.

After committing the crime, the men left the girl in the fields and fled.

They took with them Rs.400 that the girl had with her, her ATM card and mobile phone.

Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com/19-yr-old-school-girl-gangraped-in-moving-auto-114004900.html 

India Rape: Girl Kidnapped And Attacked

By Alex Rossi, Asia Correspondent

A three-year-old girl is in hospital recovering from serious injuries after she was kidnapped and gang raped in southern India.

The girl is currently under observation in intensive care.

She was sleeping beside her mother on a pavement in Tirur, in Kerala, when she was kidnapped on Monday night.

The family - whose members are homeless - only noticed she was missing on Tuesday morning.

The girl was found unconscious by students on their way to school.

One of the students told a local newspaper that: "She had a high fever and she had ants crawling all over her body."

The attack took place in Tirur, in Kerala, southern India

Doctors at the hospital where the girl is being treated say it will take her months to recover.

The attack took place in Tirur, in Kerala, southern India

Despite outrage in India over the Delhi gang rape in December, many more cases of rape are being reported across the country.

The government is now trying to introduce tougher anti-rape laws.

In Delhi, four rape cases a day have been reported since the beginning of this year, according to police figures. The average for 2012 was two rapes a day.

Campaigners believe the rise is partly the result of more women coming forward to report crimes of sexual violence.

The gang rape and murder of the Delhi student has provoked a national debate and shattered what was once a taboo subject - violence against women.

Nonetheless, women are increasingly scared to travel alone at night in the capital.

The city's only taxi service for women - which uses only women drivers - has told Sky News they have been inundated with calls.

Driver Kushi Prajapati says: "After the Delhi gang rape we've been busy day and night. Women feel very unsafe and they use our taxi service for safety reasons."

Source: http://news.sky.com/story/1061310/india-rape-girl-kidnapped-and-attacked

Two arrested over India Ghaziabad 'gang rape'

Police in a suburb of the Indian capital, Delhi, have arrested two men in connection with the alleged gang rape of a 19-year-old girl on Saturday.

The girl was travelling in an auto rickshaw in Ghaziabad when at least two of her co-passengers allegedly raped her, a senior police official said.Police say they are looking for a third suspect.The gang rape and murder of a student on a Delhi bus in December sparked protests across India.Reports in the Indian media said that the teenage girl had taken an auto rickshaw home on Monday evening near a busy mall in Indirapuram in Ghaziabad. Details of what happened next are still sketchy.

The girl apparently told the police that she was gagged, raped, robbed and thrown out of the vehicle near a highway. Last week, there were violent protests in Delhi after reports that a seven-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at a school. The principal and four employees of the municipal school have been suspended in connection with the case. There has also been angry debate in the parliament over last month's rape and murder of three sisters, aged six to 11, in the state of Maharashtra.

No-one has been arrested and opposition MPs have criticised the slow pace of the investigation. The issue of sexual violence against women and girls has been under intense scrutiny in India after the rape and murder of a student on a Delhi bus in December led to widespread protests. Six people have been charged over the case which shocked the nation. Five of them are on trial in a specially convened fast-track court and they face the death penalty. The sixth accused, a minor, is being tried in a juvenile court. He could be sentenced to three years in a reform facility. All the six accused have pleaded not guilty.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-21696101

Another rape in Delhi-NCR: Call centre employee abducted, gangraped in Gurgaon

Ajay Kumar
Gurgaon, Thursday, March 7, 2013 | 12:29 IST

In a shocking reminder of how vulnerable women are in the National Capital Region, a 24-year-old employee of Convergys BPO was abducted and gang-raped by two unidentified men in a moving car in Gurgaon on Wednesday evening.

According to the police, the woman had just finished her afternoon shift at 7 pm and was waiting for a cab outside her office at Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, when the incident occurred.

A car stopped near her and as she went closer thinking it was her office cab, she was abducted at gunpoint from the service lane. The accused drove for more than two hours on MG road and adjoining roads as they took turn to rape her. The victim was dumped around 10 pm near Old Gurgaon bus stand.

The distraught woman made a call to her office, which in turn informed the police.

Although the victim initially hesitated to register a complaint and undergo medical in Gurgaon tests, she was convinced later. On her complaint, the police have registered a case at DLF Phase-2 police station against unknown people. A medical examination has confirmed rape, police officials said.

"The victim was waiting for her office cab at service lane of the E-way, and mistook the Wagon R approaching towards her as her office cab. An unidentified person in the car pulled her inside and sped away," said Alok Mittal, police commissioner of Gurgaon.

The car occupants held her hostage at gun point and drove towards MG road via E-way.

The woman is a native of Hyderabad and lives in South Delhi with her husband. Police sources said the victim was initially too horrified to register a complaint, and had not deposed before the magistrate till late evening.

Ironically, the incident took place days after the IT-BPO industry led by Nasscom finished the celebration of Women Safety Month in February. Also, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is visiting a village in Gurgaon on Friday and the security has been tightened in the Millennium City.

After the December 16 gang rape incident in the Capital, Nasscom had decided to celebrate February as Women Safety Month in solidarity with women. About 32 per cent of the workforce in Indian IT-BPO industry is women. At least 50 different programs, including the identification of less safer routes taken by the BPO employees, were organized by Nasscom in different campuses.

Earlier this year, the Delhi Police had requested the ministry of home affairs, to give them powers to arrest the cab drivers flouting rules related to safety of women under section 133 (1) b of the CrPC.

Source: http://m.indiatoday.in/story/gangrape-in-moving-car-call-centre-employee-abducted-in-gurgaon/1/256813.html

17-year-old girl raped at gunpoint

ETAH: A 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped at gunpoint by two youths in Budpura village, police said today. 

The FIR filed by the minor girl's father states that in the incident which occurred on March 2, two village youths, Subedar and Nandoo, forcibly dragged his daughter to a secluded spot where they took turns to rape her after gagging her and holding her at gunpoint. The duo are absconding. 

Police said that the victim was found in an unconscious state close to where she was raped. 

In another incident which has come to light in the area involves a young girl who was allegedly kidnapped six years ago from Sahawar area and held captive in Ballabhgarh area of the district where the accused, one Chandravan, repeatedly raped her. 

The girl, who has given birth to a baby girl, however, managed to escape from her captor and returned to her parents. 

With the abductor allegedly looking to carry her off again, the parents of the girl lodged an FIR against him, police said, adding that no arrests had been made in the case so far. 

In a third case of attempted rape, reported in the district on March 4, a woman was attacked inside her house by a youth who, however, was forced to flee as the victim raised alarm seeking help. 

In a similar case, also on March 4, a 13-year-old student of class VIII was attacked inside her house by a youth who has been named in an FIR over the incident. 

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/17-year-old-girl-raped-at-gunpoint/articleshow/18832643.cms

India reeling after rape and murder of 3 young sisters

Altaf Qadri / AP

Protesters near the Indian parliament Thursday complain that a new sexual violence law is inadequate. Their signs call for the removal of the deputy chairman of the parliament's upper house, P.J. Kurien, who is facing rape allegations.

By Ashok Sharma, The Associated Press

NEW DELHI -- Police were searching villages in western India on Friday for suspects in the rape and killing of three young sisters, as Indians still angry over the fatal gang rape of a woman on a New Delhi bus in December face another heinous sexual attack.

The bodies of the sisters — ages 7, 9 and 11 — were found Feb. 16 in a village well in Bhandara district in Maharashtra after they had gone missing from school two days earlier, said police officer Abhinav Deshmukh. The area is more than 600 miles south of New Delhi, the capital.

The victims' mother said police did not take the case seriously and did nothing for several days until villagers held protests. Deshmukh said Friday that 10 teams of 30 investigators were working on the case and that he was confident they would find the killers soon. Police first dismissed the deaths as accidental, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. The girls' mother accused police of a shoddy investigation and said they did nothing for two days. Enraged villagers forced shops to close, burned tires and blocked a national highway passing in the area for hours earlier this week, demanding justice.

Police eventually registered a case of rape and murder after a post-mortem of the girls found that they had been sexually abused and brutally killed, PTI said. One police officer has been suspended for not acting promptly, Indian Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel, who represents Bhandara district in Parliament, said Thursday. Cabinet Minister Manish Tewari called the killings a "very, very heinous assault" and said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was sending 1 million rupees ($18,300) to the girls' family.

The case has horrified Indians two months after they were outraged by the gang rape and killing of a young woman on a moving New Delhi bus.

The gang rape sparked nationwide protests about India's treatment of women and spurred the government to hurry through a new package of laws to protect them.

The gang rape victim and her male friend, who also was badly beaten up in the attack, were dumped naked on the roadside, and the woman died from her injuries two weeks later in a Singapore hospital. Five men are being tried on rape and murder charges in that case, while a sixth, who is underage, is in juvenile court.

A new law enacted by the government has increased the prison sentences for rape from the existing seven to 10 years to a maximum of 20 years. It also provides for the death penalty in extreme cases of rape that result in death or leave the victim in a coma.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/22/17056657-india-reeling-after-rape-and-murder-of-3-young-sisters?lite

Statistics: Rape Conviction Rates Across India

By Saptarishi Dutta and Aditi Malhotra

A graphic showing the conviction rate of rape cases in India in 2011. 

A “Rape Map of India,” posted on India Real Time Thursday looked at the number of reported rape cases in India in 2011.

Today, we are adding data from the National Crime Records Bureau on the rate of conviction in rape cases in each state around the country. Some 15,423 rape cases were decided countrywide in 2011.

Of the total number of cases that made to court, the overall rate of convictions stand at 26.4%, or 4,072 convictions while 11,351 acquittals were recorded. These included cases pending from previous years as well.

In 2010, 14,263 cases of rape were decided, with the accused being convicted in 3,788 cases, or 26.6%.

According to the data, the small northeastern state of Manipur recorded a 100% conviction rate in rape trials in 2011.

India is far from unique in its overall conviction rate, which many activists deplore as low. This 2008 Washington Post story looks at the low rape conviction rate in the U.K.

Note: The graphic excludes Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands. 

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/01/04/statistics-conviction-rates-for-rape-across-india/

Of 24,206 rape cases in India, 7% in state Published: Friday, Dec 28, 2012, 4:40 IST By Dhaval Kulkarni | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA At least 14 women per lakh population have faced atrocities like rape, molestation and sexual harassment in Maharashtra. “While the average rate of crimes against women per lakh population in India is 18.9, in Maharashtra it is 14,” said an official from the state home department. This figure is less than a few developed countries. Of the 24,206 rapes registered across the country in 2011, Maharashtra accounted for 1,701 cases or 7%. And, of the 2.28 lakh crimes committed against women in India, 15,728 were in Maharashtra (6.87%). The state ranks sixth in terms of percentage share. There is a silver lining — a steady decline in crimes against women. As per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) figures, Maharashtra’s share in the atrocities against women in the country was 7.4% in 2009, 7% in 2010 and 6.87% in 2011, said the official. Quoting the NCRB figures, an official said that Maharashtra accounted for 3.93% of the 8,618 dowry deaths in 2011, down from the previous year’s 4.7%. Maharashtra, with 339 such incidents, ranked 17th in the country. But social activists contested the figures. “The attitude of the police…is to register cognisable offences as non-cognisable ones and stay away from registering non-cognisable offences. Hence, though crimes against women seem low on paper, the ground reality is different,” claimed activist Vardha Deshpande. In 2011, rapes accounted for 1% of the total Indian Penal Code crimes in India. However, while the country’s rate for filing charge-sheets in rape cases is 93.8%, the conviction rate is a low 26.4%. The conviction rate for other crimes against women was also a measly 26.9%. State home minister RR Patil said they will request the high court to keep 25 of the 100 fast-track courts in Maharashtra exclusively try crimes against women. After recruiting 17,500 women in the police force in the last five years, the state government plans to recruit 20,000 more. The government has mooted for death sentence in rape cases and also recommended that offences, such as eve-teasing and molestation, be made non-bailable. Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_of-24206-rape-cases-in-india-7pct-in-state_1782080

Delhi gang-rape: India reels from national shame

Published: Wednesday, Dec 19, 2012, 13:53 IST  By DNA Correspondent | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA

DNA Taking suo-motu cognisance of the rape of a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked police commissioner Neeraj Kumar to file the status report in two days. The Delhi HC, which rapped the police for failing to prevent the rape in a moving bus, asked the government to provide best medical facilities to the victim and her friend. Describing the incident as shameful and shocking, the HC asked the police chief to provide details of the cops patrolling in the area where the girl was raped. “People are losing faith in the police and judiciary. What was the police doing before this incident?” the court remarked, while questioning the negligence on the part of the Delhi Police. The 23-year-old medical student who was gang-raped and hit with an iron rod for resisting for nearly 45 minutes on a Delhi bus is in a critical condition. Four of the six men who allegedly raped the student have been arrested. The driver of the bus in which she was gang-raped and tortured, has been remanded in police custody for five days.  The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also issued notices to Home Ministry and the Delhi Police and sought a report on the incident within two weeks. The HC has also decided to set up five special fast track courts as suggested by the government to deal with cases of sexual assault on women. The decision to set up the courts came a day after Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit urged Chief Justice of the Delhi HC Darmar Murugesan to immediately make functional five fast track courts.The Registrar General of the Delhi High Court has sent a letter to the Delhi Government communicating the court’s acceptance of the recommendation by the government, officials said. Dikshit, in a letter to Justice Murugesan, had urged him to take urgent action in making the fast track courts functional to deal with the cases of sexual assault on women and to provide speedy justice to the victim and conviction of the guilty.  (With inputs from agencies) Heinous sexual assault cases this year December 16, 2012: A 23-year-old girl was raped and brutally assaulted in a moving bus by at least six men in South Delhi. Four have been arrested  and two are absconding October 2012: A 21-year-old student of National Law School of India University from Nepal was gang raped in the campus in Bangalore. Six people were arrested in this connection and two are absconding  July 9, 2012: A 16-year-old girl was assaulted and molested in public view - it was also video recorded by a local journalist. The DGP said there was prima facie evidence suggested that the whole incident was orchestrated by a journalist of a local channel June 17, 2012: A French diplomat, posted in Bangalore, was booked on charges of raping his three-and-a-half year-old daughter. The case was registered against the top official at the French Consulate in Bangalore on a complaint from his wife February 5, 2012: The 37-year-old victim was at a pub at Kolkata’s famous Park Street. A man who befriended her at the pub offered her a ride home in his Honda City. When she climbed in, there were two men in the car. But soon, another three entered the vehicle. She was raped at gunpoint Compiled by DNA - Research N Archives Perspectives The need of the hour is to mete out severe punishments to those who dare to mess with women’s dignity. I am for capital punishment. We are a society which has accepted male chauvinism in all its forms. Most women don’t even speak up about the atrocities that they face in public places. Every incident of disrespect of a woman should be reported to the police. Somehow the cruelty against women transcends class barriers. It is shocking to hear that a police officer in UP raped a victim of rape. How insane is that?  —Dolly Thakore, theatre actor The issue should be dealt with in a three-fold manner through better policing, punishment and sensitisation. It is time we have a proper citizens-to-police ratio. Our patriarchal society has allowed men to disrespect women. The number of female foeticide cases is appalling. What message does this give? Boys are brought up believing that they have the upper hand over girls. It is time we sensitise children. The perpetrators of crimes on women commonly go scot free. It is time to change the law —Gul Panag, film actor After living in both cities, I feel Mumbai is far safer as compared to Delhi. But if one does not have to make a comparison, Mumbai has become less safe recently. When I was 11, I would go to my friends place on a bicycle or walk up. Now, I would not allow my daughter to do the same. The spate of crimes only confirms the need for more policing and ensuring that conviction happens quicker, so it becomes a deterrent. Public places like the subways at CST and Churchgate must have more police presence. —Abha Narain Lambah, conservation architect Mumbai has changed a lot. There was a time I could travel alone by train, but not any more. Off late, the cases of harassment have gone up. I get paranoid when my teenage girl goes for coaching classes and returns late. The problem is not just related to physical violence. There’s a lot of drink driving also. But the problem of harassment has been largely because there are no strong preventive laws. Recently, many perpetrators of rape have turned out to be drivers, watchmen, cleaners or vendors. There should be strict police verification of such people —Abha Singh, bureaucrat turned lawyer Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_delhi-gang-rape-india-reels-from-national-shame_1779282

Law student gang-raped on campus

Bangalore, October 14, 2012, DHNS

A second year law student of the National Law School of India University was allegedly gang-raped on the campus on Saturday night. 

The 21-year-old lodged a complaint with the Jnanabharathi Police on Sunday, in which she alleged that she was raped by a group of eight men.

According to the complaint, late on Saturday, the woman—who stays at the university hostel on the campus—went out with her friend, Rakesh (name changed), who works with an IT firm in the City.

Around 10 pm, when the two were walking in the forest area of the university campus, a gang of eight men—all drunk—attacked them and forcibly took them deep inside the forest. Rakesh claimed that the men attacked him with an iron rod and demanded money. He told them that his wallet was in the car. He was then sent back to the vehicle with one of the men accompanying him, leaving the woman with the rest of the gang.

As the two approached the car, Rakesh sighted a beat constable of the Jnanabharathi Police Station. He ran towards the road, crying out for help. The man sent by the gang to accompany Rakesh then escaped into the forest. Rakesh, along with the constable, combed the area for the gang and the woman. Soon, they were joined by more policemen from the station who searched the area, but in vain.

Around 12:30 am, Rakesh got a call from the woman saying that the gang dropped her back near the hostel and that she walked back to the building. Later, she lodged a complaint with the Jnanabharathi Police stating that she was abducted by the men and taken two km further into the forest where they gang-raped her.

A special police team combed the area all through the night, but there was no trace of the gang.

The woman was sent to Vani Vilas Hospital where a medical test was conducted on her. When Deccan Herald contacted the hospital authorities, they declined to comment. However, the police said that her condition is stable. Some senior police officials, though, expressed doubts over the sequence of events.

“We have registered a case under Section 376 of the IPC and are investigating. There are some conflicting and contradicting versions given by the victim. The medical report is awaited and we can reach a conclusion only after we get the report,” said S N Siddaramappa, DCP (West).

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/285438/law-student-gang-raped-campus.html

A rape every 22 mins: What makes us so complacent?

by Akshaya Mishra Oct 12, 2012

One woman gets raped every 22 minutes in India. One child gets raped in every 76 minutes. Only one in every four accused in the crime gets convicted. Between 1971 and 2011 cases of rape registered a 873 percent jump. That is the biggest among all categories of crime. This is the information provided by the National Crime Records Bureau data. Add to the dismal numbers the fact that most such cases go unreported due to social and other reasons.

We have a problem, a serious one. Only we won’t acknowledge it. That’s the reason we will reduce the recent rape cases in Haryana to media entertainment. Entertainment, yes, because what we don’t have, after a month these cases started surfacing, is a serious debate on the issue. The focus has consistently been on the peripherals – khaps finding a bizarre solution to the problem, loose remarks from politicians and political visits to the victims.

Pooja, mother of a 11-year-old who was raped and killed in Delhi. AFP.

There’s enough sarcasm going around for the solutions or perceived solutions offered by different sections. The khaps believe reducing the marriageable age of children will bring down cases of rape. This solution has backing of many in the political class. Others would call it solely a law and order problem and suggest heavy crackdown on the culprits as a remedy. Some would ask the girls to dress appropriately, conduct themselves in an acceptable manner and even stop using mobile phones.

All this nowhere come close to a solution but let’s face it, these are only expected responses from people with a limited worldview shaped by the reality of their existence. You cannot expect a khap panchayat to manufacture an enlightened opinion that is acceptable to the modern, liberal class. It’s possible they simply know of no other solution. The local politicians emerge out of the same stock, so their views are not likely to be too different either.

Let’s be clear that all rapes don’t happen in the social environment dominated by the khap panchayats. The menace is far too widespread. The Delhi-NCR region is called the rape capital of India. There is high incidence of rape in states like Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh too. People involved are not always uneducated people with little knowledge of the law. It’s possible that there is more awareness now and that’s why more and more victims are coming out to lodge complaints but the escalating numbers offer no confidence.

It’s a recorded fact that in a significantly high number of cases the rapists are usually friends or relatives. According to statistics nine out of 10 alleged culprits were known to the victim. No complaint was lodged as the victims’ families were worried about social shame. The cases that makes the flood of derision at a Hisar Congressman’s recent comment on rape of women is a bit misplaced.

“The girl gets into an affair with a boy and she goes with him without knowing that he is of criminal mindset. It’s not the state government which is responsible for rapes, in fact in most of the cases its consensual sex… In 90 percent cases, the girls and women initially accompany boys on their own and are later trapped in gang-rape by criminals,” he said. He is wrong in saying that rape is consensual – simply because if it is rape it cannot be consensual. But the other part of his observation is not too out of place. If so many rapes are taking place because of the proximity of the culprits and the victims, it’s only logical that a great degree of our attention towards addressing the problem should be directed here.

Unfortunately, we have no discussion on that. Worse, we have no solution at all coming from the chattering classes. Rape cases have several dimensions, social, criminal, psychological and gender discrimination. Can it be treated as a law and order problem alone? Certainly not. Even if it is, do we have enough sensitivity and expertise in our police mechanism to deal with such cases in a proper manner?

Much of our discourse on the subject is focussed on the policing aspect only. We need to have a more comprehensive approach. And it calls for an intelligent debate. The situation is surely going beyond control. It’s time we got serious.

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/india/a-rape-every-22-mins-what-makes-us-so-complacent-489080.html