India’s rape crisis: New assault case emerges amid sex assault protests and hunger strike
With pressure mounting on India’s government over investigations into the gang rape of an 8-year-old girl, another brutal sexual assault and murder case is highlighting violence against minors and women in the country.
Last week, protesters took to the streets of Jammu and New Delhi over the death of Asifa Bano, an 8-year-old girl reportedly gang raped and murdered in the Kathua district last January. The killing has caused outrage in parts of the country, with eight men including a former revenue official and a police officer arrested over the brutal assault and murder.
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The length of the investigation as well as reports that ministers from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party attended a Hindu Ekta Manch rally supporting the suspects has inflamed tensions.
The president of the Delhi Commission for Women, Swati Maliwal, has gone on hunger strike in an effort to bring about stricter punishments and death sentences for those who commit rape and murder.
Maam, u r MP. Ur govt is in power. Instead of waiting 4 'national uprising', won't it be better 2 collect women MPs & imm speak 2 PM to create infrastructure 2 increase police resources accountability & fast track courts so that certainity & swiftness of punishment is guaranteed. https://t.co/8OQRmkHXYe
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) April 15, 2018
“I will not break my fast till the PM ensures better safety for the women in this country,” she said, the Indian Express reported.
Now police in the western city of Gujarat say they have begun another investigation into a rape of a child that occurred on April 5. The case involves an 11-year-old girl, who was found dead at the side of a highway on April 6, Reuters reported.
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“The body was recovered was on April 6… and according to a post mortem report, the girl was sexually assaulted and murdered on April 5,” Gujarat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma told Reuters.
“We have put our best teams in place with all senior police officials. To nab the criminals we first need to identify the body,” he added.
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