Woman activist supports juvenile, says second chance should be given

With the juvenile convict of the December 16 gang rape case set to be free today, woman activist Kavita Shrivastava on Sunday came out in support of him, saying he should be given a second chance.

"What happened on 16 December was very unfortunate, but it is important to note that such juveniles are used by adults. I think, the boy should be given another chance to live," Shrivastava told ANI.

"Law should be implemented. According to the law, a boy below the age of 18 years is not sent to jail. He was kept in observation home for three years. Even the High Court said that the law should be implemented," she added.

Meanwhile, a protest is going on at the Jantar Mantar in view of the juvenile release.

The parents of the victim had earlier decided to hold the protest at the India Gate, but because of the imposition of Section 144 in the area, they were not allowed.

The convict, who is now 20-years-old and was known to be the most brutal of the attackers, has been taken to an undisclosed location from a correction home in North Delhi amid concerns that there was a threat to his life.

In December 2012, the teenager was part of the six member gang that lured a 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist and her male friend onto a bus, where the girl was gruesomely raped and her companion brutally beaten. The girl subsequently succumbed to her injuries 13 days later in Singapore.

The incident caused nationwide outrage and led to widespread outpouring of anger against the rapists, including the teenager.