A number of women and students organisations held a demonstration at Parliament Street here on Thursday to protest against the Kathua and Unnao outrages and to demand justice for their victims and their families.

The alleged gangrape of a teenaged Unnao girl and the subsequent custodial death of her father in a case involving a BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and the chilling case of gangrape-and-murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua in the PDP-BJP combine-ruled Jammu and Kashmir have sparked countrywide pubic outrage.

Scores of members of these organisations ~ including the AIDWA, NFIW, Pragatisheel Mahila Sangathan, JNUSU, SFI and AISA ~ carrying placards raised slogans against the BJP dispensation here this afternoon, accusing the BJP governments of allegedly protecting the accused in both the Kathua and Unnao cases.

Speaking to The Statesman, Pragatisheel Mahila Sangathan general secretary Poonam Kaushik said, “We demand immediate arrest of BJP MLA Sengar. Victims in Kathua and Unnao rape cases should get justice.”

All India Students Association (AISA) state secretary Neeraj Kumar said, “In the Unnao gangrape case, the BJP MLA should be immediately arrested. In such cases,FIRs must be immediately registered and speedy justice delivered.”

In her reaction, National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) general secretary Annie Raja said : “Sexual violence against women has been on the rise and the government must take measures to ensure security for women and to protect their constitutional rights.”

Commenting on the Kathua and Unnao horror incidents, All India Democratic Women Association (AIDWA) general secretary Mariam Dhawale demanded that “In both the cases, the culprits must be arrested and bails should not be granted to them. The victims should be rehabilitated and the police officials protecting the accused should be punished.”

A statement issued by the protesting organisations of women and students on the occasion said, “Today, we demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should break his silence on the Unnao and Kathua rapes and ensure action not only against those accused of rapes but also against those BJP leaders who are defending the rape-accused and using the gruesome rape and murder of a little child as communal and political fodder.”

The statement charged, “We demand that the UP Chief Minister should step down for the complete lawlessness that prevails under him ~ a situation in which all common people, women, Dalits and minorities are insecure.”

It said : “The Kathua case be transferred to Delhi, away from Jammu and Kashmir, where a free and fair trial is not possible in the communally vitiated atmosphere, and action be taken against the police officers who destroyed evidence.”