Hundreds of students march for justice

Hundreds of students along with the teachers of three schools took out a rally in Surat on Monday in the wake of the gangrape of a class XII girl last Friday, urging the district collector and police commissioner to ensure adequate protection from such incidents.

The students of Vanita Vishram, Lourdes Convent and Jivan Bharti gathered at the school premises and marched to the offices of the collector and police commissioner, shouting slogans demanding that the culprits be punished immediately.

“The students demanded speedy justice for the victim. They demanded that in the name of law no one should delay the process and that the authorities should protect the self-respect and honour of the victim’s family,” said Ketan Sailor, trustee of Jivan Bharti.
The students said that police patrolling near schools was a must to avoid incidents such as that on Friday, stating that many antisocial elements created problems near schools. It was the responsibility of the police to do away with such people by patrolling the areas, they said.

“Some people hang around near the gates of schools at the end of the day. They have nothing to do with the schools or the students. All they do is lure students,” said a teacher who was part of the rally.

A student of Vanita Vishram said that strangers would wait near schools and pass vulgar comments, but were not questioned. “Antisocial elements often wait near schools at the end of the day. The police should identify and arrest such people,” the student said.
The students on Friday demanded that the government and also parents be sensitised to their issues.