Over 500 students of the state capital, including many college girls, on Saturday expressed their outrage against the recent gang-rape of a student in Ranchi and the rape-murder of a vet in Hyberabad.

A student in her 20s, out walking with her male friend on Tuesday on Ring Road near Ranchi, was raped by 12 youths, 10 of whom were called up on cellphones by the two youths who first accosted the couple. On Thursday, a vet in Hyderabad, also her 20s, was raped and killed by four persons who offered to help her when her two-wheeler got a punctured tyre near a toll plaza. In both cases, the accused have been arrested.

On Saturday around 4pm, some 500 students, many holding glowing candles and covering their mouths with black badges as a mark of protest, reached Raj Bhavan after a 3km march from Kanke Road.

Picture by Manob Chowdhary and Prashant Mitra

At Raj Bhavan, they put candles on the road and observed a two-minute silence in memory of the departed vet.

From Raj Bhavan, the students marched in front of the official residence of CM Raghubar Das at Kanke Road, and from there to the nearby residence of Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan to again repeat their actions in front of Raj Bhavan.

A protester said they had faith in the judiciary and police, but as youngsters they did not see why roads and public spaces were so unsafe for girls.

“Why should we feel scared for our safety? Why shouldn’t we feel confident when we go to college or workplace or for socialising or anywhere else?” the protester said.

ABVP members demonstrate outside the district collectorate Picture by Manob Chowdhary and Prashant Mitra

“Our intention behind this protest on Saturday is to highlight the need for better protection. If girls don’t feel safe, how can society progress?” the protester added.

Earlier, 100 students associated with Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarathi Parishad demonstrated at the gates of the district collectorate from 12.30pm to 2.30pm to protest the rapes.

National executive committee member of the ABVP, Divya Pathak and city unit deputy secretary Kanchan Kumari demanded exemplary punishment and trial by fast-track courts in rape cases.

An ABVP delegation met Ranchi SSP Anish Gupta and handed him a memo demanding CCTV cameras in isolated areas, patrolling near educational institutions and a blanket ban on the sale of tobacco and related items near colleges.