Vehicles in India facilitate rape and molestation

Most sex crimes in India go unreported due to shame, society and pressure of disgrace. Offenders go unpunished and the wheels of justice turn slowly, but no so surely. Various Governments have come and gone and little has been done to ensure safety of women on the streets of India. The recent gangrape of the 23 year old medical student on December 16th in a bus in Delhi resulted in her death last weekend. This has led to a public outcry with people taking to the streets in protest. It has initiated a national debate about violence against women in India and especially in New Delhi which has the highest number of sex crimes among Indian cities. A rape is reported every 18 hours and cases of rape rose nearly 17% during the period 2007 to 2011.

Another rape involved a minor in a Bolero utility vehicle in Barmer district of Rajasthan. The 16 year old was abducted and gang raped by 3 men in Rawatsar village of Barmer on December 27th. Two of the rapists have been arrested but the third is absconding.

A class X girl was also gangraped by her uncles and cousins in Greater Noida. The incident took place in a car with tinted glasses that kept moving in arterial roads in the city but no one was able to stop them. In another incident a woman was gang raped in a car and dumped in South Delhi. This 42 year old victim was sedated, raped and dumped in South East Delhi.

Gautam Budh Nagar Police is also investigating a case in which a 14 year old was abducted by 5 men in her village and raped by 2 of them in a moving car. While in another incident, a constable of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and another working with the Defence Ministry tried to kidnap and rape a 24 year old in their Alto car.

In Kurukshetra, an engineering college student was bundled into a classmate’s car forcibly and raped.A 16 year old was molested on a DTC bus on Saturday night. It must be mentioned here that this 16 year old was actually running away from home to escape similar fate at the hands of her 19 year old brother who had been raping her for the past six months. Emboldened by recent developments, she was headed to lodge acomplaint, when the an off-duty drunk conductor began misbehaving with her nce the last passenger had gotten off. The On duty conductor, and driver did nothing to protect the girl.

A girl was molested by a mini bus conductor in Baghpat while other passengers were aboard. When she objected, the conductor assaulted her and attempted to throw her off the bus. Her older sister intervened and pleaded for her life.