New Delhi, September 14: Twitter Storms, Facebook campaigns, Protests in over 100 Cities and Towns countrywide voicing their support for a CBI enquiry and justice for the rape victim seems to have not yet created enough pressure on Delhi Police (or the Union Home Ministry) for an evidently fair investigation in the case.  

Just in this week itself hundreds of protestors poured out on the streets in Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Uttrakhand, UP and Maharsatra, apart from nearly a daily procession in New Delhi, demanding justice for Rabiya, who was brutally gang-raped and murdered in Delhi in the last week of August.

Women’s Rights organisations, Activists, Political leaders, right-thinking citzens and common people – all have been up in arms, agitating against the high handedness on the part of Haryana and Delhi Police. Those seeking justice for the girl feel that the police in both the states are not fair and are derailing the investigations, maybe in a bid to shield the real culprits in the case.

Many feel that the brutality unleashed on the girl proves that lust was not the only motive as she had over 50 stab wounds and injuries on both her breasts as well as her private parts. The victim, a civil defence staffer in the office of the SDM in Delhi’s south eastern district, was found dead at Surajkund in Faridabad on August 26, 2021.

“The silence of the Kejriwal government and the BJP government on this issue raises several questions that need answering,” said Istri Jagrati Manch leader Amandeep Kaur in Punjab. “Rabia’s brutal assassination, despite working in the civil defence department, calls into question our country’s defense system. In our country, women are considered as second-class human beings and since the BJP government assumed power, dalit and muslim women have been targeted,” she alleged.

Since September 4, #JusticeForRabiya has been trending on the platform and it had around 80k tweets in just 2 days. The twitterati are questioning Delhi and Haryana Police, national media agencies and social welfare groups on their silence regarding the issue.

A resident of Delhi’s Sangam Vihar, she was kidnapped on August 26 after which she was also gang raped before being brutally stabbed multiple times to death.

Nizamuddin - the accused, according to the police claimed to be the victim’s husband and presented himself at Kalindi Kunj police thana in South Delhi claiming he had killed the victim and wanted to surrender.

This version of police is being vehemently denied by the family – they believe that there were more than one culprit and the perpetrators were not as naïve as the man who has presented himself before the police. They think this man is a decoy with which some big people are shielding the real culprits. The family feels that two people who were also working in the same SDM office, who are not traceable since the incident, are involved or they would definitely know who the culprits are.

The family believes that she was caught in a much bigger conspiracy, as officials in the SDM office where she was working were also caught and being questioned for a financial scam during the same time frame.

According to the accused, due to differences between the couple, he believed she was also getting emotionally involved with another male, kidnapped her so he could confront her. He also claims that the two had secretly married because Rabiya’s family did would not approve of their marriage. (he has not been able to provide any paper either of a court or a Maulana who officiated in their marriage)

According to police, he took her to the Surajkund area of Faridabad, where he killed her. Those from the family and many protestors however, believe there is much more to this murder case and that the root cause of the matter must be found out behind this barbaric incident and catch the real culprits.

Senior Congress leader Haroon Yusuf has raised questions over the stand of police and governments and laments that the legal system in the country has collapsed. He said that the victims have to run from pillar to post to get justice but in spite of that they are deprived of it. He said, “The safety of women has become a serious issue in Delhi and the governments are becoming a mute spectator.”

“It’s a matter of shame that the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has so far not met the family of Sabiya. Justice must be given to Sabiya and her killers should be hanged as soon as possible,” Haroon Yusuf added.

Yet another politician, Tasleem Rahmani of SDPI says, “The police is deliberately trying to ignore the matter by showing the case as an issue between two States. On 27th August 2021, a mysterious person appeared and sought his arrest but the police and the court had not taken him on remand till now which raises doubts over the legal system of the country.”

Taslim Rahmani also alleged that this case is being looked from a communal prism as one section is sitting quiet in their homes and the media is also maintaining a deafening silence. While lamenting at the situation he said, “In Nirbhaya’s case 8 years ago the whole country raised its voice and came on roads to seek punishment for her killers but today nobody is prepared to speak which is condemnable.”