Delhi BJP chief ministerial candidate Dr Harsh Vardhan has demanded that December 16 to be remembered as Nirbhaya Divas in memory of the paramedical student who was gang-raped on this day in 2012 in the national Capital. “December 16 should be recalled in perpetuity by the Government and people for the need to protect women from sex criminals. It will be a day to reiterate our nation’s resolve to protect women who are victims of abuse and rape,” he said.
The BJP leader alleged that Delhi Government has made many announcements after December 16 rape case, but most of them remained on paper till date. ‘For instance, home guards to be posted in all buses operating under public transport, all public transport buses to have sufficient lighting in them, all crossing to be monitored by CCTV, all vulnerable traffic points to have police barricading, all the dark spots of Delhi would be marked and illuminated by sodium lights and all these promises remained on paper till date,” he said.
Vardhan stated that lieutenant-Governor has taken several steps to ensure safety and security of women that include deployment of home guards for beat duty 24x7 in all colonies and slum areas and there are more than 60,000 home guards under the State Government who are sitting idle. He stated that if the BJP had been able to form a Government through the just-concluded elections, he as the Chief Minister would have made public its first resolution for guaranteeing the safety of women in Delhi’s public space. “Nirbhaya Diwas” would have become a reality.
Vardhan said that since Delhi has no elected Government at this point in time, the Central Government which would administer through the lieutenant-Governor, should ensure that the “Rape capital” stigma is removed. The Sheila Dikshit Government which ruled Delhi for 15 years failed miserably in the crucial area of ensuring women’s safety and so rape and molestation became a part of everyday life.