Women groups in Visakhapatnam seek justice for Unnao rape survivor

Women groups and activists representing different organisations staged a protest in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, seeking justice for the Unnao rape case survivor. The women activists joined forces at the Gandhi statue near the GVMC building in the city and raised slogans while demanding that justice be served to the victim in the horrific crime.

While a few banners read that the accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar should be punished severely, other placards demanded that the investigation must take place outside Uttar Pradesh. A few activists also held candles at the protest, as a gesture of resentment against the crime.

VS Krishna and K Anuradha of the Human Rights Forum, K Padma of Mahila Chetana, Prabhavathi of All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Vimala of National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), and M Lakshmi of Progressive Organisation of Women (POW), were among those who took part in the protest in Visakhapatnam.

The protestants referred to the recent incident where the Unnao rape survivor met with an accident while travelling in a car. The incident killed two of her relatives and left her severely injured. The survivor is currently battling for life in ICU. The incident has led to a huge uproar across the country with citizens and political groups demanding stern action against the guilty.  The activists alleged that the accident was a planned one, intended to kill the victim.

With increasing demands that the case should be shifted out of Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme Court, on Thursday, ordered that all the 45 cases registered in this matter be moved to Delhi. The apex court has also sought a decision within 45 days and has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pay a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the survivor. The BJP too, has sacked the rape suspect Kuldeep Sengar amid the growing outrage.