Students stand up for forgotten victims

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When most in the nation were celebrating Republic Day, some were preparing to take on the government, fight for their rights and demand justice for all those who have been raped, molested or been victims of injustice.
Two groups of protesters gathered at the Jantar Mantar to campaign for women’s rights and to “revive the anger” of the public that ebbed in the last few days.

They are happy with the recommendations made by the Justice Verma Committee (JVC), but now they want a speedy implementation of that.
Comprising mainly of college students, the protests spoke about all those cases of rape, molestation and murder that have been forgotten. “I’d be ashamed of myself throughout my life if I don’t stand up for this cause today,” said Minu Ete, a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University, who thinks that this is the time when people can be united to stand up and speak up.
“The December 16 rape case has motivated people across all segments of society, so much so that the JVC took a progressive stand. It should be utilised well,” she added.
While most of us thought that the season of protests were over, these students were busy making placards, conceptualising slogans and finding details of cases that have been pending for years.
Some placards spoke about Kashmir’s Asiya and Nilofar rape case, while others mentioned Mumbai’s Aruna Shanbaug. The cases against the Indian soldiers and army like the Nilima Boro case of Assam and Shopian rape and murder case of Kashmir were also highlighted at the protest.
Kavita Krishnan, secretary, All India Progressive Women’s Association, said that while we are talking about justice for women it’s important to highlight these cases. “The people have the right to know what happened to them,” she said.
Prerna, a Philoshopy research scholar, DU and the DU student president of AISA, thinks that we forget cases of the past. “We spend time in making placards not because we enjoy doing that but because we feel for the cause,” she said.
Each of the placards was full of anger against the system that is unable to come up with a concrete solution. One read: “Hame kya chahiya? — Azaadi — Baap se bhi, Khaap se bhi.” Another said, “Rajpath Tumhara Hoga, Janpath Hamara Hoga.” There were many others that criticised and condemned the comments made by the likes of Asaram Bapu and Abhijeet Mukherjee.
Pradyumn Sinha, a Geography (Hons) student of Kirorimal College, said that they will never let the spirit die. “Even during our regular conversations, we keep thinking about topics and slogans that we can take up at the next protest. We try to come up with lines that would resonate with the common people,” says Pradyumn.
To spread the word, youngsters affiliated with political groups have even given up their political identity. They didn’t want to represent a political group that can bring in a change. “We want to spread the message that it’s the power of the youth that will bring change. These protests are a step towards that,” said Rizwan Alam, a mass media student from Jamia Millia Islamia.