ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of students protested in New Delhi on Wednesday, demanding greater safety for women after a 17-year-old girl reported that she had been gang-raped by three men posing as police officers at a park earlier this week, Indian media reported.
Police shot and arrested one suspect Tuesday and questioned two others, who are brothers, senior police officer Vijay Kumar told reporters. The teenager reported the alleged assault to police, prompting an investigation.
Most of the protesters were women, and several wore face masks as they marched near the site of the alleged assault Wednesday evening. They held placards and chanted slogans calling for greater freedom and safety for women.
“Our body is our own,” some placards read. Others called for women to be able to go out at night without fear.
The alleged assault took place about two kilometers from Lady Shri Ram College, one of India’s prominent women’s colleges. The college suspended classes Tuesday after the suspect was shot a short distance from its campus.
A college official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said classes were suspended around noon after students became concerned following the shooting. College principal Kanika K. Ahuja said the decision was made after college authorities learned of the incident and that the “safety, security and well-being” of students was the institution’s priority, according to local media reports.
The father of the two brothers questioned in the case said that his sons had been framed.
80 rapes reported daily: Indian crime records bureau
The case has renewed concerns about sexual violence in India, where more than 80 rapes are reported to police each day, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau. Activists say the actual number of sexual assaults is higher because many cases go unreported, with victims sometimes facing blame and social stigma.
Delhi has previously been the center of protests over violence against women. The 2012 gang rape and fatal assault of a student on a moving bus in the city sparked widespread demonstrations across India and led to legal reforms, including tougher penalties for sexual offenses and the establishment of fast-track courts.
Despite those changes, sexual violence remains a major concern. Analysts have pointed to factors including entrenched gender inequality, understaffed police forces, and delays in the judicial system as contributing to difficulties in preventing and prosecuting such crimes.