New Delhi: The Protest  against the gruesome rape and death of Damini refused to die down  even after her death and last rites on Sunday Morning.
The flames of the pyre may have died, but public anger continued with hundreds of protestors gathering at Jantar Mantar, the heart of the Indian capital. The peaceful protest turned a little restive in the afternoon when a group of students clashed with policemen.
While many raised slogans for tougher laws to deal with rapists, some organised a ‘havan’ – a prayer by fire ceremony – for the departed soul.
The protestors lit candles in the evening, demanding speedy justice for the rape victim who was cremated in the capital Sunday morning after her body was flown in from Singapore.
“We don’t want any New Year’s celebration this time as we are determined to protest till the end,” Chesta, 22, a student, told IANS.
“We want to carry out a peaceful protest. We want to carry forward the movement. But why do police restrain us from protesting at India Gate?” asked a protestor.
Praveen Pandey, a law student from the Jamia Millia Islamia, told IANS: “We will continue to protest even if they barricade major stretches of roads and shut all Metro stations…The police can’t stop us from raising our voices.”
Deepali Sharma, a student of Amity University, who came to the protest along with friends, told IANS: “We want speedy justice in the gang-rape case. We want strict laws. Till then, we will continue our protest.”
The protestors, including some elderly people, mourned in silence the death of the young woman.
Foreigners also protested against Damini’s Rape
Some foreigners also joined the protests, moved by the savage attack on the 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist, who was cremated Sunday morning.
“It is a painful incident,” 27-year-old Gerardo Angiulli from Argentina told IANS.
A professional photographer touring India on a project, he said he came on his own to Jantar Mantar, a 18th century brick-work observatory, that has turned into a protest site.
Angiulli said he understands the pain of the family and wanted to join the protestors to show solidarity.
“I have three sisters in Argentina and I can feel the pain of the family members,” Angiulli, who was accompanied by a female colleague, said.
“I think women in India are ill-treated and it really upsets me. This is one major reason for such incidents to happen,” he said.
Angiulli’s colleague Helene Dosia, in her 20s, said the best way to wake authorities was to hold peaceful protests.
Andrew Wilson from Britain said he had come to India for a visit with his family.
“I read about it and was really moved. I wanted to be part of this peaceful protest,” said Wilson, who has been in India before.
“I prayed for the departed soul. It must be a very traumatic time for the family,” he said.
“The outpouring of grief and sorrow (at Jantar Mantar) has really moved me. I hope the government would step in now and stop such barbarous incidents from happening in the future,” Wilson said as protestors raised angry slogans against the government for not doing enough to stop such attacks from happening.
Steps to curb Protests at New Delhi
Prohibitory orders, restricting gathering of four or more people at a time, were imposed in central Delhi and roads leading to India Gate and Raisina Hill, the centre of power, were barricaded.
Ten Metro stations were shut in the morning for fear of mob violence, but five were reopened in the afternoon.
The protest also witnessed a minor clash in the afternoon between police and some students who broke barricades in an attempt to march towards India Gate. Four people were detained and later let off.
According to some peaceful protestors, those who turned violent were students representing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s students wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
Rohit Chahal, state secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, said: “We will be protesting silently, but if the police become violent, we will also have no other option but to retaliate. We demand a special session of parliament to discuss the issue of rising incidence of rapes in India.”
Delhi has the unflattering sobriquet of “rape capital” with over 600 rapes recorded this year alone, according to police figures.