New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union organised a march on Monday to mark the 12th year since the Nirbhaya rape incident. As part of the Bekhauf Azaadi March, scores of students gathered at Ganga Dhaba on the JNU campus at 9pm before setting off on a symbolic walk to the Munirka bus stop, the site where the 23-year-old Nirbhaya boarded the bus in which she was gang-raped and fatally assaulted in 2012.
“We march not only to remember Nirbhaya but to stand for every woman whose voice has been silenced by violence. Our fight is for a world free from fear and injustice, where every woman can live with dignity and equality,” said a student.
JNUSU president Dhananjay said, “When the wrestlers came to Delhi to demand justice and raised their voice against the sexual violence they had to face, they were dragged on the streets. That visual was telling of the violence faced by women from Manipur to Gujarat and Kashmir to Karnataka. Why do some rape victims become daughters of the nation while others are invisible and secretly cremated?”
The participants chanted slogans calling for an end to gender-based violence and demanding justice for victims of other incidents of sexual violence across the country. One placard prominently read: “From Nirbhaya to Abhaya. From Hathras to Muzaffarpur. From Kathua to Gujarat. Ensure justice. Fight for a gender-just world.”
Through the march, the students reaffirmed their commitment to challenging systemic violence against women and pressing for broader reforms that ensure justice, equality, and safety for all. Stressing the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to ensure the safety of women everywhere, the marchers said the battle for justice couldn’t be confined to a single case. “Nirbhaya’s pain is shared by countless women across the country,” explained one student. The marchers called for stricter laws, better enforcement, and a cultural shift that places the safety and dignity of women at the forefront of societal values.
