BH CORRESPONDET, New Delhi: It was a long seven years’ fight for Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi. Finally, on March 20, the four convicts of Nirbhaya — Vinay Sharma, Mukesh Kumar Singh, Pawan Gupta and Akshay Singh — were hanged in Tihar Jail at 5.30 am. For Asha Devi, the wait for justice has been painful and agonizing, but finally she got it. Her 23-year-old daughter was gang raped and murdered on the night of December 16, 2012, and later succumbed to her injuries.
After the judgement she was seen crying and said, “I can put up my daughter’s photo on the wall now.”
“I hugged my daughter’s photo. The beasts have been hanged,” said Asha Devi.
After the Nirbhaya convicts have been hanged, Asha Devi said she will continue the fight for justice for India’s daughters. She recalled how Nirbhaya was like. “You call her Nirbhaya. She was exactly that. She was brave and fearless. She trained herself in karate. She challenged the wrong even as a kid. She would stand up for her friends. She was the protector,” she said.
“They have been hanged… it has finally happened after seven years… today is for our daughter. Justice was delayed but it was delivered,” she said.
Asha Devi said, “The judiciary has shown people that if our daughter are harmed, then people responsible will be punished.
Speaking about the inordinate delay and the lacunae in the legal system, Devi said: “I hope the Supreme Court will have a re-look at our laws… I hope they end these delays and punish convicts within a year’s time.”
She added that her daughter would never return but “this fight was for her and our daughters… I will continue with this fight for all our daughters”.
Saying she was relieved as her daughter had finally got justice, Asha Devi said: “I will proudly say this… I am proud of my daughter… the whole world knows me because of her. It would have been better if I was known as the mother of a doctor but that dream was never fulfilled. I could not protect her but I was able to fight for her.”
After the execution many celebrities and politicians, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lauded Asha Devi’s efforts.
Justice has prevailed.
It is of utmost importance to ensure dignity and safety of women.
Our Nari Shakti has excelled in every field. Together, we have to build a nation where the focus is on women empowerment, where there is emphasis on equality and opportunity.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 20, 2020
