Hundreds of demonstrations in several parts of India protested the release of 11 men convicted of raping a Muslim woman during riots in 2002 and sentenced to life in prison.
Demonstrators in the capital New Delhi chanted slogans calling on the government of Gujarat, western India, to reverse the decision. They also chanted slogans in solidarity with the victims.
Similar protests were held in several other states.
The 11 men, released on 15 August during India’s 75th Independence celebrations, were convicted in 2008 of rape, murder and illegal assembly.
The victim, now in her 40s, said the Gujarat government’s decision left her speechless and shook her faith in justice.
The victim was pregnant when she was gang-raped during deadly sectarian clashes in 2002 in the western Indian state of Gujarat, where more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in some of the most violent sectarian clashes in India since its independence from Britain in 1947.
The violence killed seven members of the woman’s family, including her three-year-old daughter.
Prominent activist Kavita Krishnan stated, “The whole country should demand a direct response from the Prime Minister of this country.”
Source: Associated Press.