Kathua, Unnao rape case: Rahul leads mid-night march, targets Modi
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi led a midnight march to the India Gate here on Thursday to protest the Kathua and Unnao minor rape cases and said it's time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to walk the talk on 'beti bachao' (save the girl child). "We are here against crimes being committed against women, against rapes, violence and murder and the government must act on this. This is a national issue and not a political one," Gandhi said at the march in the heart of the national capital. On the Modi government's 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' initiative, Gandhi said it was the right slogan and the Prime Minister must start work on 'Beti Bachao'.In the midst of the investigation, lawyers of the Jammu High Court Bar Association (JHBA) undertook protests, demanding a CBI probe into the matter.Meanwhile, Modi and his party members on Thursday kept a day-long fast against the washout of the second part of Parliament's budget session due to disruptions.
Top 10 developments on Kathua gangrape, murder of 8year-old girl, protests by Rahul Gandhi, celebrities and citizens: 1. Rahul Gandhi leads midnight protest at India Gate: Congress President Rahul Gandhi led a midnight protest by the party workers at India Gate here against the "slumber" of Narendra Modi government over the rape incidents in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua and Uttar Pradesh's Unnao and to seek justice for the victims. 2. What Rahul Gandhi said: He said there were repeated incidents of violence, rape and murder of women in the country. "We want the government to take action. Today, women are feeling insecure to move out of their houses. Somewhere a child, a woman is raped, killed and we want that the government should resolve this. 3. Under Modi govt "Betis are under threat": A number of student and women organisations on Thursday protested at the Parliament Street against the Kathua and Unnao rape cases and questioned the silence of Modi. The protesters also alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi of keeping silent on the issue. 4. Mehbooba Mufti must clarify involvement of BJP ministers in Kathua agitation, says Congress: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to come clean on the alleged involvement of two of her cabinet ministers in instigating trouble in Kathua region following the gang rape and murder of an eight-year-old nomad girl. 5. Bar Association of Jammu extends strike till April 17: The Bar Association of Jammu (BAJ) said it is extendng its strike till April 17 against the growing illegal presence of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals, while alleging that its agitation for a CBI probe into the Kathua rape-cum-murder was wrongly being portrayed as "communal". 6. Pakistani hand in Kathua rape-murder case, says MP BJP chief: BJP state president Nandkumar Singh Chouhan claimed a 'Pakistani hand' behind the Kathua gangrape and murder. 7. Mehbooba Mufti moots death penalty for raping minor: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday announced that the state government will bring a new law to make the death penalty mandatory for those who rape minors. 8. Failed Asifa as humans, says V K Singh: Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said "we have failed Asifa as humans". "...But she will not be denied justice," V.K. Singh, former Chief of Army Staff, tweeted.
9. Obstruction of justice in Asifa case disgraceful, says Amnesty: Human rights group Amnesty International termed the attempts by some lawyers and a Hindu group to obstruct the investigation and prosecution of the gang-rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir, as "disgraceful". 10. Celebrities voice outrage: Several Bollywood celebrities, including Farhan Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor, Javed Akhtar, Shirish Kunder, asked the public to demand justice for the minor in the wake of the shameful incident. "Imagine what goes through the mind of an 8-year-old as she is drugged, held captive, gang raped over days and then murdered.
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