New Delhi: The cold night of December 16, 2012, turned out to be a black night for Nirbhaya. Today that gory event, which jolted the entire nation, gets eight years old. People want to forget but they can’t. Those painful moments and memories are still haunting everyone's mind. However, the only thing which gives us the sense of satisfaction is the fact that Nirbhaya has got justice as all the four convicts, who were arrested and found guilty of murdering her brutally, were hanged to death in March, 2020.
On the 8th death anniversary of Nirbhaya, her mother says that even today she feels her pain. "Even today she is in my eyes. I will probably feel so as long as I am alive. The grief increases when more such cases are reported from different parts of the country. This date is a saddening moment for the whole family, the whole country. It is like a black night for us," said Asha Devi.
‘Even today, there is pain in my heart’
Nirbhaya’s mother said, "She was alive for 12-13 days, but was in such a condition that she could not be given even a spoon of water. She asked for water, but the doctors said that there was no such system functional in her body that water could be given to her. Even today, when I take water in my hand, I am reminded how unfortunate we are as parents that our daughter was asking for water but we could not give. This pain is still intact in my heart."
‘I will stand up against injustice’
Nirbhaya’s mother thanked all those who supported her. "The way children, boys and girls came on the road and raised their voice, I can never forget that. I took a pledge in my mind that my daughter is not in this world but I get this inspiration in my mind that I stand up against this crime under all circumstances. They should get justice. What should we do to stop such crimes in society? We need to stand with the children. I do not know what I will do in life. How I will do all this, but I will stand with my power by every girl with whom injustice is done," she said.
‘Victims must continue to get justice’
Recalling her trauma which she underwent while fighting for her daughter’s justice, she said that the jail manual was prepared in 2018. Whether the Central or the State government, everyone knows that the guilty must get punished. The jail manual says that it is the individual’s right to live till the last moment. The jail manual says that if there is more than one convict in the same crime, the punishment will be given to them at one time. My situation was very bad. The court could not compel them to appeal. The victim does not get any right. We used to wait until the accused appeal. Only then the trial will take place. Lawkeepers have made the law so convoluted. We should learn from the Nirbhaya incident.
‘Questions were raised over repeated deferment of hanging’
The manner in which the hanging was repeatedly deferred posed a question on our country’s law and order mechanism. When the incident is happening with the girls, again and again, the question arises as to why this is happening. No one is ready to think about changing the system. We are comforted that our girl got justice but in the future also, all the girls should get justice. If we pay attention to small incidents, then big mishaps can be stopped. We need to stop crime against women. We need to talk about how such heinous crimes can be stopped.
