The Kalkaji gangrape case has brought back into focus a string of recent rape and sexual assault incidents in the national capital, with cases reported from Kashmere Gate to Sadar Bazaar to Swaroop Nagar. The cases include alleged assaults in public spaces, a shop and even a moving sleeper bus, putting the spotlight once again on the safety of women and children in the city.
1) Desh Bandhu Gupta Road
On Monday, a six-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in the Desh Bandhu Gupta Road area. Police took the accused, identified as 34-year-old Ankit, into custody after the girl’s family and local residents allegedly caught him and handed him over to police. The child was sent for medical examination, and police said the medical report will help establish the allegations. An FIR has been registered and residents staged a protest at a nearby police post following the incident.
2) Sadar Bazaar
Just days earlier, an 11-year-old Class 6 student in Sadar Bazaar allegedly went to a tailor’s shop to buy stationery and was sexually assaulted inside the premises. The accused, 56-year-old Maqsood, allegedly restrained the girl before assaulting her. Police registered a case under the POCSO Act and arrested him.
3) Swaroop Nagar
Meanwhile, the Swaroop Nagar case remains among the most serious recent cases. A 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and murdered after going to meet a boy she knew. Her body was found in a field near Kushak Road on September 13. Police have apprehended four suspects, including three juveniles, and recovered two knives and clothing allegedly linked to the crime. Investigators have also examined CCTV footage to reconstruct the sequence of events.
4) Kashmere Gate Bus Gangrape
On August 4, a 16-year-old Class 11 student from Uttar Pradesh was allegedly gang-raped inside a moving sleeper bus after boarding it at Pari Chowk in Greater Noida. The bus travelled nearly 47 km before the girl was allegedly abandoned near the Kashmere Gate area. Delhi Police arrested the driver and conductor.
The bus case also exposed alleged safety and regulatory lapses. Police sources said the vehicle had 11 traffic challans, including seven issued in July, and its CCTV system was reportedly non-functional. Heavy curtains allegedly restricted visibility into the passenger area. The driver and conductor were also reportedly hired without police verification.
The National Human Rights Commission took suo motu cognisance of the bus case and sought reports from the police commissioners of Delhi and Gautam Buddh Nagar and the Mainpuri superintendent of police.
Aastha Kunj Park Gangrape Case
A 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped at Astha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir on Monday evening. Police said three men approached the girl and her 17-year-old male friend while allegedly posing as policemen. The accused allegedly threatened the two before separating the girl from her friend and sexually assaulting her. A PCR call was made around 8:45 pm.
One of the accused, identified as Asif, was later arrested following an exchange of fire with police in Amar Colony.
Police said he fired at the team during the interception and was injured in retaliatory firing. The other two accused remain at large, and CCTV footage is being examined. A case has been registered under the POCSO Act and relevant provisions of the BNS.
Taken together, the cases span neighbourhoods, public spaces, commercial premises and public transport, raising fresh concerns over the safety of women and girls in the national capital.
