NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday backed the ongoing student-led protests over women’s safety, accusing the government of responding to violence against women by restricting their movement instead of making public spaces safer.His remarks came amid renewed protests in Delhi following the alleged gangrape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park in south Delhi. Hundreds of students, many of them women, have taken to the streets over the past week demanding safer public spaces, stronger policing and greater accountability.“Stop punishing women for the crimes committed against them,” Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.“Across our country, women are afraid to walk the streets, afraid of being harassed, afraid of being raped. And the government’s answer: stay at home,” he said.Rahul Gandhi argued that asking women to restrict their movement amounted to victim-blaming instead of addressing the conditions that make public spaces unsafe.“This is patriarchy at work: a system that blames the victim and shields the criminal. It is time to smash it,” he said.The Congress leader said the focus should instead be on making streets safer, challenging attitudes that enable violence against women and ensuring swift punishment for offenders.“The solution is not to lock women inside. It is to make our streets safe, to confront the mindset of men who mistreat women, and to punish those who attack them, swiftly and without exception,” the Congress leader said.Protests over the Aastha Kunj case have grown across Delhi University. Students from institutions including Lady Shri Ram College, Miranda House, Gargi College and BR Ambedkar University have participated in demonstrations, raising concerns over harassment, poorly lit streets and restrictions imposed on women because of safety fears.The issue has also reached the Supreme Court. On Monday, the court questioned the Delhi government and police over recent crimes against women and girls in the national capital and sought accountability over what it described as failures in ensuring public safety.
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Rahul Gandhi urged more young people, particularly women from Gen Z, to join peaceful protests.“Thousands of students and young people are on the streets demanding safety for women. I urge even more young women, especially GenZ across India to come out in stronger numbers,” he said.“This government is deaf to your pain and will only listen when it’s under pressure. Peaceful protest is your democratic right, and I stand with you wholeheartedly,” he added.Creative placards and slogans such as “Abort Patriarchy”, “My favourite season is FALL of patriarchy”, “Bas bohot ho gaya” (enough is enough), and “Bade bade shehron mein aisi chhoti soch nahi chalegi” (such a narrow mindset will not work in big cities) stood out as protesters marched through the campus amid heavy police presence.
