Activists of the Centenary Committee to celebrate International Women’s Day, representing more than 25 women’s organisations in Delhi, together with activists of other mass organisations, staged a demonstration outside the Jammu and Kashmir House on June 18, to protest against the brutal rape and murder of two young women in Shopian, Kashmir and the subsequent attempts by the state to cover up the crime.

Demanding justice, immediate conviction and punishment of the culprits, repeal of the AFSPA and removal of the army from Kashmir, they militantly raised slogans such as – ‘Shopian ke balatkarion ko saja do (Punish the rapists of Shopian)!’, ‘Shopian ke katilon ko saja do (Punish the murderers of Shopian)!’, ‘Kashmir se fauz ko wapas lo (Remove army from Kashmir)!’, ‘Armed Forces Special Powers Act ko radd karo (Revoke AFSPA)!’, ‘Rajakiya atankvad nahi chalega (End state terrorism)!’, ‘Gunahagaron ko saja do (Punish the guilty)!’, ‘humein chahiye insaaf!’, ‘We want justice!’, ‘Mahilon par atyachar band karo (Stop violence on women)!’. They held up banners of the participating organisations and also carried placards bearing these and other slogans.

A delegation of four women representatives met the resident commissioner of J&K and submitted a memorandum, expressing the deep anguish of the women and people of Delhi at the brutal rape and murder of the women by the security forces in Kashmir and the innumerable other atrocities being carried out by the army there on a daily basis. Through the memorandum and the protest action they extended their solidarity to the women and people of Kashmir in their struggle for justice.

They demanded an end to the special immunity provisions granted to the security forces posted in J&K which obstruct the prosecution of the guilty, an impartial inquiry into this incident and all such incidents of gang rape and murder by the security forces, arrest and prosecution of the security personnel involved in this incident, immediate action against those responsible for such heinous crimes and restoration of normalcy and dignity to people lives in J&K as well as repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.

The participating organisations included AIPWA, AISA, CADAM, Centre for Struggling women, CAVOW, Dalit Lekhak Manch, Democratic Students Union, Disha Chhatra Sangathan, Forum for Democratic Struggle, Purogami Mahila Sangathan, Jagori, New Socialist Initiative, Krantikari Yuv Sangathan, Nirantar, Saheli, Sangat, Stree Adhikar Sangathan, Stree Mukti League, National Federation of Dalit Women, SAFAR, SAMA, Lok Raj Sangathan and others.