As the body of the raped and murdered Delhi woman was cremated, normal life continued.
In Kolkata, one of India’s four biggest cities, police said a man reported that his mother had been gang-raped and killed by a group of six men in a small town near the city on Saturday.
She was killed on her way home with her husband, a senior official said, and the attackers had thrown acid at the husband, raped and killed her, and dumped her body in a roadside pond.
Maybe the six men were amateur law enforcement officials, and the woman had done something wrong.
Or maybe it was just run of the mill misogyny, but that doesn’t get discussed much in India, at least not by people who matter.
Issues such as rape, dowry-related deaths and female infanticide rarely enter mainstream political discourse.
Because…well, you know. Wrong sex.
Newspapers raised doubts about the commitment of both male politicians and the police to protecting women.
“Would the Indian political system and class have been so indifferent to the problem of sexual violence if half or even one-third of all legislators were women?” the Hindu newspaper asked.
The Indian Express said it was more complicated than realizing that the police force was understaffed and underpaid.
“It is geared towards dominating citizens rather than working for them, not to mention being open to influential interests,” the newspaper said. “It reflects the misogyny around us, rather than actively fighting for the rights of citizens who happen to be female.”
There is no misogyny! That word doesn’t mean what you think it does! You’re making up a new definition for it! Feminism! sproinnnnnnnnnnnnng