Delhi rape: former army chief says security only for VVIPs

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New Delhi, Dec 21, 2012: Former army chief General V.K. Singh Friday said the brutal rape of a 23-year-old woman in the national capital is "indicative of complete collapse of governance" as the security agencies are for the "so-called VVIPs" and not for the ordinary citizens.

"The brutal assault and the heinous gang-rape of a 23-year-old in a bus moving in the city with impunity is indicative of the complete collapse of governance... This case has to be a watershed. I pray for this brave girl’s survival and my thoughts are with her family," Gen. Singh said in a statement.

The young woman, who was returning along with her friend after watching a movie on Sunday, was allegedly gang-raped by six men in a moving bus. The gruesome incident took place on the roads of one of the poshest areas of south Delhi.

"We cannot let this go the Jessica Lal way, where if it was not for the efforts of her family, her killer would be back in business. The system has received its gravest warning - we must awaken before it is too late," he said, referring to the model who was working as celebrity barmaid at a party when she was shot dead by Manu Sharma, a Congress leader’s son. Sharma was acquitted but was later tried again after massive media and public pressure.

The former army chief was also critical of the government for thinking just of VVIPs in the national capital and not caring for the ordinary citizen of Delhi. "Today, the very agencies entrusted with policing the state and maintaining law and order have become nothing more than security agencies for the rich and famous, the so-called ’VVIP class’ of Delhi. For an average citizen, getting a case registered, even when grievously wronged, is a virtual impossibility, let alone getting any form of justice," he said.

The outrage over the gang-rape has gained massive mass support which is growing everyday as the woman fights for her life at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital.

Courtesy: Deccan Herald