DELHI – A 20-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly stabbing and killing a 16-year-old girl on a crowded street in the Indian capital, Delhi, last Sunday (May 28); todayonline.com reports.
Surveillance footage of the brutal killing shows the girl stabbed 22 times with a knife and then beaten to death with a club by her boyfriend.
In the video now circulating online, several bystanders paused to watch in horror as several people passed by without intervening or stopping the attack.
Indian media reported that the victim, identified as Sakshi, was visiting a close friend in Alban Shahbad district.
Neetu, a friend of the victim, now tells The Times: ‘It was my daughter’s birthday so she went shopping. She bought some clothes and told me she was going to meet another friend of mine. But she never returned.”
Delhi Police believe Sakshi was assaulted by her boyfriend, 20-year-old Sahil, after an argument between them.
In the viral video, the accused can be seen stabbing the victim steadfastly several times in public.
Once, a passer-by tried to take a knife from Sahil, but he released his hand and continued to stab the girl. Then passers-by fled.
As the violent attack continues, many people are seen walking near the scene.
Although some people stopped watching, no one came forward to help the victim.
Sahil continued punching Sakshi’s stiff body several times, before taking a stone and hitting her repeatedly on the head.
Then he left for a while but came back to hit her with a board and kicked her several times before leaving.
Sahil was arrested in the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh hours after the killing, according to multiple reports quoting senior Delhi police officer Ravi Kumar Singh.
Punishment call:
Hashtags such as #DelhiMurder and #DelhiCrime were trending on Twitter after the footage emerged.
In a tweet on Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called the killing “very sad and deplorable,” adding that “criminals have come out brave.”
Rekha Sharma, chairwoman of the National Commission for Women, told the ANI news agency that the crime showed the “cruelty” of Delhi residents.
“There were many people at the scene when the accident happened, but no one did anything to help the girl. “The case must be heard in an urgent court, and the verdict will be pronounced as soon as possible,” she added.
Many social media users echoed this view, criticizing the bystanders seen in the video.
One Twitter user wrote: “Shameful attitude of vile neighbors and bystanders. He (the alleged attacker) seemed sure no one could stop him. This is a running error. miserable.”
Some netizens suggested that the victim could have survived if everyone had come together to help her.
One Facebook user said: ‘I just wish the people around her would get together to stop this, so at least she had a chance at survival. It’s sad to watch her so helpless.
Others demanded swift justice and the alleged attacker face the death penalty. This is not the first time Indians have been criticized for not helping crime victims.
In 2017, a woman was raped on a crowded sidewalk in broad daylight in the southern city of Vishakhapatnam. Many bystanders knew of the crime taking place.
A nearby rickshaw driver filmed the attack, which led to the suspect’s arrest.
In December 2012, similar outrage and reversal followed the gang rape and subsequent death of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student on a bus in Delhi.
Her friend, who was also assaulted but survived, said they bled for 25 minutes before someone came to their aid.
