Women don't feel safe in Delhi: Sheila Dikshit

Women do not feel safe in Delhi, chief minister Sheila Dikshit admitted Wednesday.

"Women don't feel safe in Delhi. Fears have risen. I'm shocked to learn about the Lajpat Nagar attempted rape case. It's a big setback for us," she said referring to the rape bid on a 19-year-old woman Tuesday.

The Class IX student fought off the rape bid in her own house by an electricity contractor, who thrust an iron rod into her throat to quell her cries for help. The accused has been arrested.

However, the chief minister promised to do everything possible to provide safety to women.

"My government will do everything possible to provide a conducive atmosphere for the women in the city," Dikshit said.

But CPM leader Brinda Karat criticized Dikshit.

"It is clear that women in Delhi are insecure. The chief minister is speaking the truth. But it is surely not enough. What is her responsibility as chief minister?

"Women's security issues have become political football between central and state government. Chief minister blames Delhi Police; central government defends police. It's a shame."

Delhi Art Gallery refuses to remove nude exhibits

The war of words between the Delhi Art Gallery owner and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad seems to have worsened. Despite facing threats, the organiser of the nude art works says he won't take down the paintings.

Delhi Art Gallery Director Ashish Anand said, "We'll continue with the same exhibition and nothing is going to change. The exhibition will continue till March 15. Whatever Husain has painted is the depiction of a human body, there are no gods and godesses, no vulgar manner, so there is no reason why we should be removing Husain's paintings from the exhibition."

Meanwhile, VHP is also refusing to budge. VHP activists are likely to hold protests on Wednesday too. "We are democratic people and we are expressing feelings in a democratic manner. Our organisation only came into the picture when the administrative machinery failed," VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal said on Tuesday.

Earlier on Monday, the art exhibition at the Delhi Art Gallery, showcasing a retrospective on modern nude art, ran into trouble when VHP activists forced it to shut down temporarily. The exhibition was resumed after the organisers sought police protection.

The protests, led by the Durga Vahini, the women wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, objected to the Naked and the Nude exhibition which covers a large span of works ranging from Raja Ravi Verma, Souza, Husain, etc to modernists. The activists wanted a ban on the show as they said that the nude and obscene paintings portrayed women in a bad light.

The protesters objected to the "indecent pictures" that showed women as a mere commodity. "In the light of Delhi's gangrape, this kind of immoral act which depicts women as a sex object should not be allowed," said said Sanjana Chaudhary, state convener of Durga Vahini.

The protesters say they had written to the organisers before the exhibition opened and sent a copy of letter to Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, LG Tejendra Khanna, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar, requesting them to get the exhibition banned and arrest its organisers.

The exhibition, 'The Naked and the Nude', which opened in the city this Saturday and scheduled to continue till March 15 showcases around 250 works by artists like Karamkar, Goud and Ara

Delhi gang-rape trial from February 5

Paving the way for their much anticipated trial, a fast-track court on Saturday framed charges against the five accused in the December 16 bus gang-rape and murder case.

Within 10 days of the case being sent to the special fast-track court, exclusively set up to deal with cases of sexual offences against women, it concluded the arguments on charges and put the five persons on trial on various counts, including conspiracy to abduct the 23-year-old girl and sexually assault and murder her.

In the in-camera proceedings that took place on Saturday, the court framed charges under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 376 (2)(g) (gangrape), 377 (unnatural offences), 395 (dacoity), 396 (murder in dacoity), 201 (destruction of evidence), 120-B (conspiracy), 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), 365 ( kidnapping or abducting with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine person), 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery), and 412 (dishonestly receiving property stolen in the commission of a dacoity) of the IPC. If found guilty under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, the accused could face a maximum punishment of death penalty.

A fresh offence under section 366 of the IPC was added by the court against the accused for abducting the girl with the intention to compel and force her to "illicit intercourse". The accused bus driver, Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Akshay Singh pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. The court has now fixed February 5 for starting the trial. The prosecution will begin with its evidence and examine its witnesses in the case.

Additional sessions judge Yogesh Khanna framed the charges after finding a prima facie case to suggest that the accused conspired to deceitfully induce the girl and her male friend to board the vehicle by making them believe it was a chartered bus for raping the victim and committing other offences.

In the order, the fast-track court described the juvenile as an "associate" of the five accused, who committed the gang rape in furtherance of the conspiracy and "in furtherance of common intention". The juvenile, the sixth accused, has been been declared a "minor" by the Juvenile Justice Board, which will try him separately for the offences.

Delhi Police had on January 3 filed the chargesheet against the five accused for gang-raping and brutally assaulting the girl on a moving bus on December 16.