SFI-sponsored shutdown affects normal life in Siliguri

The Students Federation of India (SFI) organised a shutdown in Siliguri, West Bengal, on Monday over the double gang rape and murder of a 16-year-old in Kolkata.

The girl was allegedly gang-raped twice in October and after two months of torment by the families of the perpetrators she was murdered, say police.

The father of the teenager, reported in the media to be a member of the Communist Party, has demanded that those behind the rapes be given the death penalty.

SFI member Sourav Das said: "We have called for a shutdown in the area in wake of the recent rape and death of a 16-year old girl. We also think she was murdered and didn't commit suicide. She had said this in a statement before she died. We condemn such atrocities against women and we, the students' federation have called for a shutdown. This is a peaceful strike and all schools, colleges and other institutions are shut today."

Das also demanded stringent action against the culprits.

"We demand strict action against the perpetrators. We demand justice for the deceased rape victim and her family," he added.

The death of the Kolkata teenager comes just over a year after a 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist died from her injuries two weeks after being gang-raped on a bus in New Delhi.

That case provoked a national wave of protests and the international spotlight on India's record in tackling violence against women.