New Delhi: Cutting across political lines, prominent leaders who on Monday participated in a prayer meet for the victim of the December 16 gang-rape, pledged to ensure that such incidents does not reoccur in the future.
On the occasion, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said, "The entire country was agitated (after the incident), people`s anger was spilling on the streets, candle marches were held not just in Delhi but in all cities across the country demanding that the accused should be hanged."
"Even the Parliament took cognisance of the anger. The (rape) law was made stricter, the definition of rape was extended. Provision for death sentence for rape accused was done in the law and because of that provision, the convicts were provided death penalty after the trial," she said.
Swaraj, however, expressed her disappointment that the juvenile who was convicted for his involvement in the by the Juvenile Justice Board, got just three years term in a special remand home.
"But it has been a regret that the biggest offender in the case was given benefit of age and he got just three years as punishment and was sent to a juvenile home," she said.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit who was seen hugging and consoling the mother of the victim at the event said that Delhi`s society and the various authorities will come together to build something in her memory.
"Whatever you will want in her memory, we will try to fulfill. And we will try with a conviction that such an incident is not repeated with anybody else in the future," she said.
The prayer meeting, which was held here at the Constitution Club also saw Minister of state for home affairs RPN Singh, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain, Chairperson of National Commission for Women Mamta Sharma, former Delhi minister Kiran Walia among others in attendance.
