Nirbhaya's father: Nine years later, women not safe in Delhi or any place for that matter

On December 16, 2012, Nirbhaya was brutalised, gang raped in Delhi, and few days later, she succumbed to her injuries. Her father spoke about the trial and punishment to the perpetrators and the issue of women's safety on the ninth anniversary of the brutal crime.

New Delhi: It's been exactly nine years since the Nirbhaya rape case was reported in Delhi - a case that still sends shivers down the spine. But, lessons were not learnt and women's safety continues to be a matter of concern, says Nirbhaya's father. The 22-year-old woman, who was a physiotherapist intern, was brutally thrashed, gang-raped, and tortured by six men in a private bus that she and her male friend had boarded at a bus stop near South Delhi. Later, she passed away, succumbing to her injuries. In an interview with IANS, Nirbhaya's father spoke about the trial and punishment to the perpetrators and women's safety.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: The accused in the Nirbhaya case were hanged last year. Do you think Nirbhaya got justice?

A: Yes, according to us. Nirbhaya has got justice. It took us many years and we are thankful to everyone who joined us in this fight for justice. It would not have been possible without the mass support.

Q: Do you think that after nine years of that incident, Delhi has become safer for women?

A: No, not at all. I believe women in Parliament should speak about the issue of women's safety more often on the floor. But we do not see that happening. Since the day Nirbhaya incident happened, so many daughters have been brutalised and murdered in a similar manner. We cannot call Delhi or any place for that matter safe for women until these kinds of incidents come to a complete stop.

Q: A web series has also been made on the Nirbhaya case. Your take on the matter?

A: We have not watched this series as of now and we have had no say in this because we were not consulted. If we were asked to put in our inputs in the making of the series, we would have shared all, and also which policeman helped us to what extent and who did not.

(- IANS)