- Five years after the Nirbhaya case, things and law have not changed: Nirbhaya mother
- Today Nirbhaya is the voice of women who are fighting for justice: Sarvesh Tiwari, General Secretary of Nirbhaya Jyoti Trust
16.12.2017/ DELHI- December 16 will always be a blemish for the capital’s heart which will be annually remembered as the voice of Nirbhaya will always resonate. Though her accused have been awarded punishment but this cannot fill the wound faced by her and parents.
In memory of beloved Nirbhaya, her parents observe Nirbhaya Chetna Divas every year. Like every year, this year also the day was observed at Constitution Club, New Delhi where Nirbhaya was first given a glowing floral tribute. The audience kept a two-minute silence in her honour followed by a discussion on the safety scenario of women in the country.
Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal said, “Every year we all gather on this date and look back and see how we have worked towards improving the safety conditions in the city and what needs improvement further. I promise that next year when we meet to pay tribute to Nirbhaya I will present my balance sheet in front of you and tell you on what all steps I have worked for women safety. I promise to install street lamps and CCTVs in the city. I invite the people of Delhi to send me details of dark spots and other “unsafe” areas and the government will install cameras and lights free of cost there”.
Among the other dignitaries present on the occasion were former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Union Environment Minister Dr Harshvardhan, former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, former Union Minister of State R.P. N. Singh, former minister Akhilesh Singh, president of Delhi Mahila Yoga, Swati Maliwal, Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, former Delhi women commission chairman Mamta Sharma, Janvada Mahila Morcha’s Brinda Karat, Congress leader Shobha Ojha, Shazia Ilmi, Sushma Shahu, Nirbhaya Jyoti Trust’s General Secretary Sarvesh Tiwari, mother Asha Devi and father Badree Nath and other social activists along with students were present.
After the gruesome incident, people were confident that things would change but they haven’t. The Nirbhaya Chetna Divas not only pays tribute to fearless Nirbhaya, it also voices of atrocities on girls and women.
Present at the occasion, Sarvesh Tiwari, General Secretary of Nirbhaya Jyoti Trust said, “Nirbhaya today is the voice of the girls who are fighting against tyranny. The objective of the Trust is to help such women and subsequently, we will all be able to offer true tribute to this brave daughter. It is necessary that the society and the government should work together in this direction to improve the women safety.”
“When I saw the entire country standing for Nibhaya justice, I thought things would change, but daughters are still becoming the victims of heinous crimes. I lost my daughter but her accused are still alive. Justice should be given on time so that people have their faith on it. There is a need of strong law against it and there is a need of change in the mentality of every person, whether he is a politician or a commoner,” said Asha Devi, mother of Nirbhaya.
Nirbhaya Jyoti Trust founded by the parents of Nirbhaya helps women who are fighting for the justice. Her mother leaves no stone unturned to help every woman who is the victim of any heinous crime.
The infamous Delhi gangrape case of 2012, often dubbed as the ‘Nirbhaya’ case, was an unfortunate incident that brought tens of thousands on the streets in protest and soon turned into a wave against issues of sexual violence. It would be foolish to imagine that the swiftness with which the Delhi gang rape was dealt would have been a deterrent on future acts of violence. But it does appear to have set in motion a fundamental rethinking about violence on women. The Delhi rape victim should be remembered not just for Nirbhaya’s extraordinary courage but also for raising a curtain on the very kind of violence the women of our country are suffering.