Gurgaon marches in protest against Kathua, Unnao, Surat rapes

There was palpable anger as residents of Gurgaon gathered at Galleria Market on Wednesday evening for a solidarity meet against the recent rapes in Kathua, Unnao and Surat. Organised by local residents without any interference of an umbrella group or organization, the meet was followed by a protest march that saw participation from about a hundred residents, who marched from Galleria Market to the MCG auditorium in Sector 29, raising cries of "We want justice!" on the busy Gurgaon roads. "This is just the beginning," said Sonia Walia, one of the organisers of the protest, adding, "We want this to be the first chapter in our bid to start a dialogue and healthy discussion about how best to combat sexual violence in this country and do something for the survivors' rehabilitation."
Residents march on the road outside Galleria market



A cross-section of Gurgaon's civil society turned up at the protest – ranging from housewives to lawyers, activists to retired professionals. While some angry voices called for retributive justice and calls for 'hanging the rapist' and 'castrating the rapist' were raised, there were others who took a more moderate approach. Sandhya, a Sushant Lok resident, said, "It's dangerous that we have become fatigued by these cases. Our patience is at an end and all we ask for is quick justice and death penalty for the rapists. We do not want another Nirbhaya or another Kathua."

Gurgaon residents marched against the recent rape cases

A woman holding a placard during the march

Junior Gupta, an activist from the city, took the alternative view, "Retribution does not work. The solution is that we need laws strong enough to tackle this issue and we need to use the Nirbhaya Fund. We don't have strong laws and we are not spending any money, which is why we have not done anything. It has been six years since the Nirbhaya case, and we have hardly made any progress in stopping crimes against women." During the march, the protesters also stopped at several points on the way, speaking to roadside vendors and motorists, asking them to support the cause of women's safety.