Left and Right chorus grows louder as protests over rape enter Day 3

The city witnessed the third consecutive day of protests against the rape of a five-year-old in East Delhi last week.

The city witnessed the third consecutive day of protests against the rape of a five-year-old in East Delhi last week. Volunteers from several political parties and students assembled in several parts of the capital to demand action against policemen.

A group of protesters,led by Delhi BJP chief Vijay Goel,marched towards Parliament,but were stopped by police at gate number 1. They had black ribbons tied around their mouths and wore black caps as a token of protest against the Delhi governments failure to provide security to women.

Around 250 BJP members sat outside Parliament demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar.

Addressing the gathering,Goel said,The Delhi Police commissioner is appointed by the Home Minister in consultation with the Chief Minister of Delhi. So Sandeep Dikshits demand for the removal of the police chief is mere posturing.

BJP MLA Jagdish Mukhi and Ramesh Bidhuri,Vice-President Pawan Sharma and Councillor Subhash Arya were part of the protesting group.

Earlier in the morning,several womens groups gathered at Jantar Mantar,also demanding the removal of Delhi Police Commissioner and other officers. The group,comprising representatives of the All India Democratic Womens Association,Akhil Bharatiya Janwadi Mahila Sangathan,National Federation of Indian Women,All India Students Association,All India Progressive Women Association (AIPWA) and activists from the Students Federation of India,were stopped from marching forward by officers at the Parliament Street police station.

Speaking to Newsline,Secretary,AIPWA Kavita Krishnan said,We are demanding action against the policemen because this incident could have been prevented if they had acted in time.

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Rashpal Kaur,member of Akhil Bharatiya Janwadi Mahila Sangathan,said,We are not satisfied with the removal of officers. We want departmental inquiries into the matter. We also demand the arrest of the police officer who slapped and injured a protester.

Nearly 40 members of the 16 December Kranti,an organisation formed after the December 16 gangrape,raised slogans for the commissioners removal outside AIIMS,where the five-year-old is being treated.

The protesters demanded capital punishment for the alleged rapists and a change in the police system of the country.

The commissioner of police should be asked to leave, Yogita Chakraborty,member of 16 December Kranti,said.

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Protests were also held at Delhi University by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.

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