DELHI: A 16-year-old girl was brutally stabbed and bludgeoned to death in a busy public alleyway in Delhi on Sunday, sparking renewed outrage over women’s safety in the country and violence perpetrated by men.
According to CNN, video of the incident, which lasted for more than a minute and was captured on security camera, shows multiple citizens walking close by as the attacker repeatedly strikes the victim.
One man is shown attempting to intervene, pulling the attacker off the victim before quickly retreating.
The body of the victim, who has not been identified, was found Sunday in the Shahbad Dairy location of the northern Delhi neighbourhood of Rohini, where the incident occurred.
On Monday afternoon, Police said they had arrested a person suspect named Sahil in connection with the murder.
Deputy Police Commissioner for Outer Delhi said Sahil, a mechanic, was detained in Bulandshahr in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh state, Ravi Kumar Singh.
Delhi’s Commissioner of Police Deependra Pathak said the first investigation pointed toward a so-called “crime of passion.”
The girl’s father said the family has demanded “stringent punishment for the accused.”
The incident is new in many killings and rapes that have triggered anger about whether enough is being done to protect women in India and punish attackers.
“A girl is brutally murdered openly in Delhi,” Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote on Twitter. “This is unfortunate. The criminals have become fearless, and there is no fear of the Indian police.”
He said, “The safety of the citizens of Delhi is paramount.”
Swati Maliwal, the Delhi Commission for Women chairperson, said she’s never seen such a frightening incident.
She said, “Delhi has become extremely unprotected for women and girls.”
