Photographs: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Thousands of people cutting across ages and social strata on Saturday took to the streets in peaceful marches and protests across the country to mourn the death of the 23-year-old gangrape victim whose fate triggered an outpouring of pent-up grief and anger.
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Thousands light candles, pray for Delhi rape victim
Image: Protesters hold a sign as they participate in a demonstration in MumbaiPhotographs: Vivek Prakash/Reuters
Mourners, many of them carrying candles and black bands pasted across their mouths, marched along the main thoroughfares of Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore and several other parts of the country.
Thousands light candles, pray for Delhi rape victim
Image: A girl lights candles during a candlelight vigil in KolkataPhotographs: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters
In one of the protests in the national capital, students of Jawaharlal Nehru University marched from their campus to the bus stop in Munirka locality in South Delhi from where the girl had boarded the bus in which she was gangraped and brutally assaulted on December 16 allegedly by six men.
Thousands light candles, pray for Delhi rape victim
Image: Demonstrators paste pamphlets on the billboard of a bus stop during a protest march in New DelhiPhotographs: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
Brinda Karat who said there was a need for fixing accountability in order to prevent recurrence of the incident.
Thousands light candles, pray for Delhi rape victim
Image: A policeman stands guard at a barricade to stop protesters, near India Gate in New DelhiPhotographs: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal and his associates Manish Sisodia and Kumar Vishwas also joined the protest along with some of their supporters with their mouth tied with black cloth.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit faced public anger forcing her to beat a hasty retreat from Jantar Mantar where she had gone to join the mourners.
A sizeable area in downtown Delhi was plunged into a security lockdown with India Gate and the Raisina Hill a strict no-go area in the aftermath of the young student's death in Singapore, drawing condemnation from protesters.
Thousands light candles, pray for Delhi rape victim
Image: A protester with gags tied around his mouth and forehead, takes part in a demonstration in MumbaiPhotographs: Vivek Prakash/Reuters
Members of women groups, cultural outfits and civil rights activists joined in mourning marches in different parts of Mumbai where actress-activist Shabana Azmi walked in a silent protest march from Juhu beach to Kaifi Azmi Park and termed the death of the girl as a "clarion call" to rise against prevention of crimes against women.
Thousands light candles, pray for Delhi rape victim
Image: A girl holds a placard as she takes part in a protest rally in HyderabadPhotographs: Krishnendu Halder/Reuters
It was, however, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi who articulated the depth of anguish when she said "as a woman and mother, I understand the pain. Her fight will not go in vain".
Emotions ran high in parts of Karnataka following the death of the Delhi gangrape victim with people, particularly women, demanding stringent punishment, including death penalty, for the perpetrators of the crime.
As the news of the death of the 23-year-old medical student spread, girls of various colleges took out a protest march in Karnataka.
Thousands light candles, pray for Delhi rape victim
Image: A protester holds a sign as she takes part in a demonstration to mourn the death of a rape victim, who was assaulted in New Delhi, in MumbaiPhotographs: Vivek Prakash/Reuters
Pained India protests over gangrape victim's death
Image: People shout slogans and hold placards during a protest in New DelhiPhotographs: Reuters
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