‘Nirbhaya’s Mother Unstoppable’: Kiran Bedi Praises Asha Devi

The four convicts of 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape case were executed on Friday, 20 March at Tihar Jail.

Four men convicted in the 2012 Delhi gangrape and murder case were hanged in the darkness of pre-dawn on Friday, 20 March, putting an end to the seven-year-long Nirbhaya case. Following the executions, social media flooded with reactions, particularly in praise for Nirbhaya's mother, Asha Devi.

Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi tweeted in praise of Asha Devi, Nirbhaya's mother. She tweeted, “Asha Devi mother of Nirbhaya goes down in history as an unstoppable mother who fought for ultimate justice for her daughter. Her struggle fully exposed the irony of brutal and merciless criminals who pray for mercy to live for themselves."

AshaDevi Devi mother of #Nirbhya goes down in history as an Unstoppable Mother who fought for ultimate justice for her daughter.
Her struggle fully exposed the irony of brutal and merciless criminals who pray for mercy to live for themselves. @PTI_News @ANI @airnewsalerts

— Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) March 20, 2020

Rekha Sharma, Chairperson of National Commission for Women, also tweeted lauding Nirbhaya's mother, Asha Devi who never lost hope in fighting for delivering justice to her daughter. Earlier she had tweeted, pointing out the loopholes in the legal system.

this case also showed us the loopholes of legal system , which the four convicts took advantage of. Today as we know that finally the convicts got hanged, I hope this will play as deterrent for others, and no such case in future should take this long to deliver justice.

— Rekha Sharma (@sharmarekha) March 20, 2020

Actor Nagma Morarji also hailed the Nirbhaya's parents for their seven-year-long fight for justice. She tweeted, "Finally Nirbhaya gets justice at last all credit goes to her parents who persisted with their fight against justice. 7 long years most when parents would have given up this long drawn ordeal they never gave up a victory in the true sense for all betis. Still a lot to be done"

Finally #Nirbhaya gets justice at last all credit goes to her parents who persisted with their fight against justice . 7 long years most when parents would have given up this long drawn ordeal they never gave up a victory in the true sense for all betis . Still a lot to be done

— Nagma (@nagma_morarji) March 20, 2020

Bollywood actors like Sushmita Sen, Ritesh Deshmukh, Tapsee Pannu, Preity G Zinta and Rishi Kapoor also tweeted in response to the execution of the convicts in Nirbhaya's case. While Sushmita Sen praised Nirbhaya's mother's resilience, Preity G Zinta expressed the need for judicial reforms. Actor Rishi Kapoor called out shame for the delay in justice.

If #Nirbhaya rapists were hung in 2012 the judicial system would have stopped so much crime against women. Fear of the law would have kept the lawless in check. Prevention is always better than cure. It’s time the Indian govt. takes steps for judicial reforms. #RIPNirbhaya🙏

— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) March 20, 2020

Nirbhaya Justice. “Jaisi karni waisi bharni” Let this set an example not only in India but world over. Punishment for rape is by death. You have to respect womanhood. Shame on the people who delayed the execution. Jai Hind! pic.twitter.com/ENyjTxwlMI

— Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) March 20, 2020

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Swati Maliwal and BJP MP Gautam Gambhir also expressed their relief after the execution that put end to the seven year long battle for justice.

The four convicts Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay (31) were hung to death at 5.30 am on Friday, 20 March at Tihar Jail. The execution took place after it was delayed several times in the past two months, post the death warrants being issued on 7 January. Nirbhaya, a 23-year-old paramedic student was gang-raped by six persons in a moving bus in Delhi on 16 December 2012. She succumbed to the injuries a few days later. The incident led to widespread uproar not just in India, but even abroad.