No celebrations on Sonia Gandhi's birthday in wake of rising cases of assaults on women

New Delhi, Dec 08: Congress President Sonia Gandhi will not celebrate her birthday on Monday in the wake of rape incidents in various parts of the country and concerns over women's security, sources said. Gandhi will turn 73 on Monday.

She has decided not to celebrate her birthday as she is saddened by rape incidents and assaults on women in various parts if the country, sources told PTI.

Gandhi's decision to not celebrate her birthday comes after the Unnao rape victim, who was set ablaze, died at a hospital in Delhi and the recent incident of a young veterinarian being raped, killed and set ablaze in Hyderabad by four people. Assaults on women have also been reported from other parts of the country, sparking outrage among the people over the incidents.

Gandhi was born on December 9 in 1946 in Lusiana, Italy and has been the longest serving president of her party for a record 19 years from 1998 until her son Rahul Gandhi took over in 2017. While studying in England, she met former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. They married in 1968. She took over as the party chief seven years after her husband's assassination.