The youngest convict in the infamous 2012 fatal gang-rape in New Delhi has been released from a youth correctional facility, sparking demonstrations and furious condemnations.
Scores of protesters took to the streets of India's capital New Delhi, demanding the convict not be released until it can be proven that he has been reformed. The protest was led by the parents of the woman who was attacked.
"Today, that juvenile has been released and now, whatever you do, he cannot be imprisoned again and I still demand he should not be released and if he has been already released he should be arrested again and the law relating to the age of juvenile suspects and convicts should be changed as soon as possible," said Badri Singh, father of the rape victim.
The man was short of his 18th birthday when he and five others attacked the woman. He finished his three-year term in a reform home Sunday. News reports said the man was moved from the reform home where he had been kept, to a new home under the care of a children's rights group. The Delhi Commission for Women submitted a petition against the release.
"We want a committee to be set up to examine the convict. The committee should submit a report to the court whether the convict is not a threat to the society and he can be mainstreamed into the society," said Rajesh Inamdar, lawyer of Delhi Commission for Women.
The Delhi High Court said it could not extend the three-year sentence, because it complied with existing law.
The Delhi gang rape case turned a global spotlight on the treatment of women in India. Police there say a rape is reported every 20 minutes. The sentence for the young man sparked debate over whether the country is too soft on youthful offenders.