New Delhi: Three years since the brutal gangrape of a paramedical student in Delhi shook the nation's conscience, Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi has appealed to the people to address her daughter by her name, that is Jyoti Singh.
Jyoti's mother said a rape victim should not feel ashamed for the horror, it's rather the perpetrators of such crimes who should hang their heads in shame.
"I am not ashamed to take my daughter's name. And a person whose wife goes through anything of this sort should not hide names. The culprits of such heinous crimes should hide their faces. The people who do not punish such culprits should be ashamed and people who do not make laws for such criminals should be ashamed. My daughter's name was Jyoti Singh, now everybody should call her Jyoti," Asha said at 'Nirbhaya Chetna Diwas', a public event organised by women's and citizens groups at the Jantar Mantar to mark the anniversary.
The 23-year-old paramedical student was brutally sexually assaulted on the ill-fated night of December 16, 2012 and died 13 days later, triggering a massive public outrage. Among many, her spirit continued to live, and in tribute she was given the name 'Nirbhaya' or brave heart.
The parents of the girl, Asha Devi and Badri Singh Pandey also demanded that juvenile convict, allegedly the most brutal" of the six offenders, and scheduled to be released on December 20, should not be released, citing he was a threat to the city.
"On the third death anniversary of our death, we are seeing the release of the juvenile convict. Where is justice in that? I do not know whether he is 16 or 18. I only know that he has committed a brutal crime and there should be no age limit for punishment," Asha said.
She also put forth four demands from a public platform that the five accused including the juvenile convict should be sentenced to death, fast-track courts be set up in all the courts to offer speedy justice to sexual assault victims, amendments to the Juveniles Justice Act be passed and utilisation of Nirbhaya Fund for setting up high quality forensic labs in all states.
Celebrities like Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, Delhi Congress chief spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee, and various women's groups had gathered at the Jantar Mantar to pay homage to the girl and agreed that it was the certainty of justice which can bring about a change.
The Jantar Mantar street after the incident had virtually turned into a public memorial for her, with people flocking in from all parts of the city to light up a candle or offer a prayer in her memory, with many moved to tears, recalling the brutality the young girl was subjected to.
(With additional information from PTI)
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