No gathering is allowed in India Gate on Friday
All kinds of gatherings are banned today in and around India Gate in central Delhi, the police said on Thursday. However, a total of 100 people can be at Jantar Mantar, 3 km from India Gate, if they have permission of the "competent authority". "No gathering is permissible around India Gate due to imposition of Section 144 CrPC," the Delhi Police tweeted.
A protest meet was planned at India Gate today for the 20-year-old from Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, whose gang rape and brutal torture had reminded many of Nirbhaya.
The choice of date is significant - October 2 is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who was among the first to raise voice for the cause of the oppressed members of the so-called lower castes. The woman, a member of the Scheduled Castes, had died on Tuesday at a Delhi hospital after fighting for her life for two weeks.
The case has evoked shock and outrage across the country and parallels have been drawn with the brutalisation of Nirbhaya, the 23-year-old Delhi woman eight years ago, which had the people hitting the streets in spontaneous protest. The biggest of these protests were held at Delhi's India Gate.
Over the last three days, intense criticism of the state government and demands for justice for the Hathras woman had poured out on social media.
Most political leaders from opposition parties have sharply criticised the Uttar Pradesh government. The list includes Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from the Congress, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Bahujan Samaj Party's Mayawati, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut among others.
The National Commission of Women has demanded a report from the state government and a plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation or a Special Investigation Team.
The UP Police is under scrutiny over alleged lapses throughout the case. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said a three-member panel has been set up to investigate the matter and file a report within seven days.
The four alleged attackers of the woman, all belonging to the so-called upper castes, have been arrested.