#trending: Girl, 16, stabbed 22 times in public by alleged boyfriend; murder sparks outrage in India over 'cowardly' bystanders

DELHI — A 20-year-old man has been arrested for stabbing and killing a 16-year-old girl along a busy street in the Indian capital of Delhi last Sunday (May 28) evening.

Surveillance footage capturing the brutal murder shows the teenager being stabbed 22 times with a knife and then bludgeoned to death by her alleged boyfriend.

In the video, which has now gone viral, some passers-by pause briefly to watch in horror, while a number of people are seen walking past without intervening or stopping the attack.

Media reports from India stated that the victim named Sakshi was visiting a close friend in the neighbourhood of Shahbad Dairy.

The victim’s friend Neetu told Times Now: “It was my daughter’s birthday, so she had gone shopping. She bought clothes and told me she was going to meet another friend of hers. But she never came back.”

The Delhi police believe that Sakshi was attacked by her boyfriend, identified as 20-year-old Sahil, after a quarrel between them.

In the viral video, the accused can be seen viciously stabbing the victim many times in full view of the public. 

At one point, a male passer-by tries to pull the knife away from Sahil, but he wrestles his arm free and continues to stab the girl. The passer-by then runs away.

As the violent attack continues, several people are seen walking by the scene. Although some stop to observe, nobody steps forward to offer the victim any help.

Sahil goes on to kick Sakshi’s motionless body several times, before grabbing a stone slab to strike at her head repeatedly.

He then briefly walks away but returns to bludgeon her with the slab and kick her a few more times before leaving.

Sahil was arrested in the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh hours after the murder, according to numerous reports quoting senior Delhi police official Ravi Kumar Singh.

CALL FOR HARSH PUNISHMENT

Hashtags such as #DelhiMurder and #DelhiCrime were trending on Twitter after the release of the footage.

In a tweet on Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal described the murder as "very sad and unfortunate", adding that "criminals have become fearless”.

Ms Rekha Sharma, chairperson of the National Commission for Women, told news agency ANI that the crime showed the "insensitivity" of the people of Delhi.

"There were several people at the spot when the incident took place but no one took any action to help the girl. The case should be heard in a fast-track court and the verdict should come as early as possible," she said.

Many social media users echoed this sentiment, slamming the passers-by seen in the video for apathy.

One Twitter user wrote: “Shameful attitude of cowardly neighbours and bystanders. He (the alleged attacker) seems to be sure no one would stop him. It's (a) failure by the neighbours. Pathetic.”

Some online users said that the victim could have survived if people had banded together to help her.

A Facebook user said: “I just wish people around her would have stopped him together, then at least there would be a chance for the girl to survive. It's so sad to look on helplessly.”

Others called for swift justice and for the alleged attacker to be dealt with the death penalty.

This was not the first time people in India have been criticised for not helping victims of crime.

In 2017, a woman was raped on a busy pavement in broad daylight in the southern city of Vishakhapatnam. Many people walked by despite being aware of the crime that was taking place.

A rickshaw driver nearby filmed the assault, which led to the subsequent arrest of the suspect.

In December 2012, similar outrage and reflection followed the gang rape and subsequent death of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student on a bus in Delhi.

Her male friend, who was also assaulted but survived, recalled how they lay bleeding for 25 minutes before anyone came to help them.