India woke up on Friday to the news that the four convicts in the infamous Nirbhaya gang rape had been sent to the gallows. The case had shaken the country's collective conscience, causing an outpouring of anger onto the streets of New Delhi, right outside the offices of the president, prime minister, and several key ministers.
Netizens were visibly relieved at the news and they started sharing their satisfaction that Nirbhaya or the Fearless (not her real name) had finally got justice.
Delhi Chief Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter and sought a pledge from everyone that no daughter would meet the fate of Nirbhaya ever.
While some netizens lauded the judiciary for delivering justice, others sympathised with the painful struggle of Asha Devi, mother of the victim, who said she could not protect her daughter but could fight for her. She thanked the judiciary for delivering justice for her daughter.
People lashed out at the lawyer representing the convicts, AP Singh, as his name trended on Twitter. He at many points had questioned the character of the victim for staying out late at night.
On the other hand, the attorney who fought for Nirbhaya was showered with praise. Her name #SeemaKhushwaha trended on Twitter with over 1.5K tweets.
Thanks, Salute and Appreciation for the labour of 7+ Years to Adv Seema Kushwaha, Nirbhaya's lawyer for standing firmly and patiently with Parents and the cause.
The infamous gang rape took place in the national capital on the night of 16 December 2012, when the girl was returning home after watching a movie with her male friend. Six rapists were held by the police immediately, but the prime accused Ram Singh allegedly committed suicide in jail, while another one was a juvenile who was let off after serving three years in a reform facility.
The four accused - Mukesh Singh, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Sharma - were hanged at 5:30 am IST on Friday. The bodies of the convicts were then sent to a Delhi hospital for a post-mortem and will now be handed over to the respective families, who tried their best to evade the death sentence and delay the execution by taking refuge in legal remedies.