College students in Pune demand “safer country for women;” submit 30K signatures to police chief
Week-long public campaign launched against the backdrop of the Hyderabad and Unnao rape and murder cases that shook India recently
More than 30,000 signatures collected during a public campaign by students of St. Mira’s College of Girls, demanding stricter laws and action against rapists in the country, were submitted to Pune police commissioner K Venkatesham on Friday.
The signatures were submitted to the police commissioner by Prof GH Gidwani, principal, St Mira’s College of Girls on behalf of the students.
“Today, we handed over 30,000 signatures collected by our students from residents from all walks of life. The signatures were collected from people in the gardens, malls, hospitals, autorickshaw drivers, corporates and students from other colleges in the last one week. There are around 3,000 students in our college. Each student signed and also requested their family, relatives and residents from their neighbourhood to take part in the signature campaign,” Gidwani said.
She said the signatures were submitted to the police commissioner as he is in charge of law and order in the city. “Our main demand was to give us a country where we feel safe. As we cannot directly contact the home ministry, we handed over the signatures to the Pune police commissionerate,” she said.
Sharing the sentiments of the college staff, students and the petitioners she said the citizens are deeply distressed “that at least one rape incident is reported every hour and women constantly live in a state of fear of rape or molestation.”
She said there was complete failure on the part of the people in power, the police and the courts.
“Our demands are to have stricter laws against rapists, better implementation or enforcement of laws, timely justice for the victims from the judiciary, a more sensitive police force and a more accountable government in the state and the country,” she said.
Police commissioner Venkatesham said the signatures and the petition “seeking stricter laws against rapists and a safer country for women,” would be submitted to the home ministry.