Delhi under siege as PM urges rape protesters to calm down

NEW DELHI: Indian authorities throttled movement in the heart of the capital yesterday, shutting roads and railway stations in a bid to restore law and order after police fought pitched battles with protesters enraged by the gang rape of a young woman.
In an unusual televised address, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for calm following the weekend clashes in New Delhi and vowed to punish the rapists for their "monstrous" crime.
Singh vowed to protect women as police struggled to quell increasing outrage over sex crimes following the gang rape of a student.
With much of central Delhi sealed off after a wave of violent protests, Singh said he understood the public's anger at the "monstrous crime" but added that "violence will serve no purpose."
"There is genuine and justified anger and anguish at this ghastly incident," Singh said in a televised address.
"As a father of three daughters myself, I feel as strongly as you. We will ensure justice is delivered," he added.
Protests have been taking place across India over the last week to denounce the police and government over the gang rape of the 23-year-old student in the capital and the surge of violence against women. Official figures show that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded last year were against women, with the number of rapes in the capital rising 17 percent to 661 this year.
The biggest protests were in New Delhi on Saturday, prompting police to cordon off areas around government buildings.
However fresh clashes erupted on Sunday. Police said more than 100 people were injured including 60 policemen. The clampdown was further tightened yesterday, with commuters having to make lengthy detours to get to work.