Delhi in lock-down mode as rape protests continue
24 Dec 2012
The national capital was virtually in lock-down mode today as protests against the brutal gang-rape of a young woman on a moving bus entered the seventh day.
Authorities blocked movement in the heart of the capital, barricading roads and shutting metro stations in an attempt to restore law and order after police fought pitched battles with angry protesters.
Thousands of armed police and paramilitary troops blocked roads in central New Delhi to prevent protesters from marching to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the president's official residence on Raisina Hill.
A small group of demonstrators gathered at a venue less than a mile away from India's parliament to press the government to ensure the security of women in the city.
The city ground to a halt as commuters found themselves caught in massive traffic jams after most roads in central Delhi were barricaded by police.
As happens all too often in India, what should have been a largely peaceful protest was apparently hijacked by hooligans bent on violence.
.webp)
