12 Years Of Nirbhaya: AAP Launches ‘Mahila Adalat’, Attacks Centre Over Women’s Safety In Delhi

Last Updated:December 16, 2024, 16:36 IST

Arvind Kejriwal said there are two governments in Delhi. One is that of AAP that has control over education, health and electricity, while the BJP at Centre had “just one responsibility of security and law and order”.

It was the December of 2012. The entire country was shocked with the news of the gangrape of a young woman in a moving bus in the national capital. The rape was so brutal that the woman, later called Nirbhaya, died weeks after the incident on December 29, 2012. The impact of the incident was so strong that people came out on the streets and the law was amended.

This incident was also considered one of the main factors for the fall of the Sheila Dikshit government, which went on non-stop since 1998. Delhi gets the name of ‘rape capital’ due to the consistent rise in crime against women.

On Monday, as the incident completed 12 years, Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party launched a new campaign called ‘Mahila Adalat’, through which it is highlighting how the crime against women is not ending in Delhi.

At a gathering held at Thyagraj Stadium in New Delhi, apart from party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and MP Sanjay Singh were present at the event. Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav, who is heading the Samajwadi Party and is the former chief minister of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, also took part. SP is a member of the INDI alliance. The leaders paid tributes to ‘Nirbhaya’.

Singh, while addressing the gathering, said, while so many years have passed, Dehi remains unsafe for women.

Atishi said even after 12 years of the incident, women and daughters in Delhi don’t feel safe.

“We kept calling our daughters every 10 minutes until they reached home after it was dark…The Union government of the BJP is responsible for the safety of women in Delhi… Today, not just as the CM of Delhi but as a daughter of Delhi and someone who was raised in Delhi, I want to tell the BJP that they cannot suppress the voices of women in Delhi. If you fail in providing safety to women in Delhi, we will come out on the road to ensure our safety. We are not scared of anyone,” she said.

Atishi went on to say that as Rani of Jhansi took the charge against the British rule, the women in Delhi will do the same against the BJP and take the charge of their safety.

The party also played some recorded interviews of women, including celebrities who shared their experience of being harassed or how scared they are in the city. The AAP also played some incidents that were recorded on camera where women were attacked or harassed.

Yadav said the incidents happening in Delhi, right where the government is running, forces them to think what would be the situation in the rest of the county.

“The Home Ministry is just functioning for the name and not working on anything on ground… The protest after the Nirbhaya was one of its kind. I was the Chief Minister of UP at that time…No one can harm that (political) party that has the support of the women,” Yadav said.

He also extended his support to the AAP government in Delhi.

Kejriwal, who rose to power months after the Nirbhaya incident, said the protest back then was so strong that it felt the situation will change totally.

“After 12 years, it is sad to say that the crime against women is on the rise…Why are the police not doing anything?… because those who are sitting above them, Amit Shah at the Centre, don’t care about women…,”said Kejriwal.

He said there are two governments in Delhi. One is that of AAP that has control over education, health and electricity, while the BJP at Centre had “just one responsibility of security and law and order”.

“It is Amit Shah’s responsibility to give security to women. He was given this one job and he could not even do that…When the BJP leaders were asked about the law and order situation, they say it is not an issue..I want to tell Amit Shah that security is not an issue maybe for the BJP but it is for the those families who are victims,” he added.

Delhi is a union territory with assembly. The ruling government in the city lacks power to control the land, law and order and services in Delhi. As per the law, the police in Delhi is under the Union Home Ministry, unlike the states where the ruling government has the control over the state police.

Kejriwal added that his government has installed CCTVs and street lights across the city to enhance the safety.

All round attack through social media platform X

Apart from the gathering, where thousands of women turned up, the party also launched an attack on social media platforms, including X.

In a post on social media platform X, Kejriwal said the increasing crimes against women in Delhi is a matter of concern. “The time has come to raise our voice against this, the city will have to unite,” he said, adding those who have the responsibility of law and order on their shoulders should especially watch this programme.

From Monday morning, the party started a charged attack on social media platform X against the BJP at the centre, controlling the police in Delhi. Many of the party leaders raised questions on the law and order situation. In a post on X, the official handle of the party said every day, around three to four women were raped in Delhi. The city holds the record of highest rapes across the country and every day 11 women were kidnaped in Delhi. The party said the “BJP should answer on these figures,” adding that the city will not forgive those who fail in keeping the women safe.

Cabinet Minister Gopal Rai, in a post in Hindi, also cited similar numbers, saying in a year close to 4,000 women were kidnapped in Delhi. “…And these are only the crimes that get reported. Imagine what happens to the crimes that don’t get reported! Amit Shah ji, what steps have you taken for the safety of women in Delhi? Why has there been no change in the situation of Delhi even after so many years? Has the central government taken any concrete steps for the safety of women in Delhi?” Rai asked.

His cabinet colleague Saurabh Bharadwaj also posted on X asking similar questions from Union Home Minister Shah. “…From 2019 till now, around 3,500 women have been raped in our city,” he said.

The impact of this campaign can be seen in the elections scheduled for February as the term of the current government ends and the city enters poll phase.