More rape cases reported as India grapples with rising sexual violence

New Delhi: India is witnessing a disturbing rise in cases of sexual violence as two new rape incidents in different states have sparked outrage.

Two more cases of rape have been reported, just days after a woman doctor was brutally raped and murdered in a horrific incident that sent shockwaves across India, according to Kashmir Media Service.

A 21-year-old college girl was gang-raped by a biker who offered her a lift in Bengaluru, Karnataka. According to the police, instead of dropping her to the designated spot, the biker took a detour to a remote location. “A man from whom she had taken a ‘lift’ committed a criminal assault and allegedly raped her. We have registered a rape case and started an investigation,” the police added. The girl was found behind a truck near Hosur Service Road in HSR Layout, wearing only a red jacket.

In another incident, a teenage girl was raped in a government bus in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Police identified the Uttarakhand Roadways bus by scanning CCTV cameras and arrested the five accused. The accused have been identified as bus driver Dharmendra Kumar (32) and Rajpal (57), bus conductor Devendra (52); Rajesh Kumar Sonkar (38) and Ravi Kumar (34), Dehradun SSP Ajay Singh said.

Police identified the Uttarakhand Roadways bus through CCTV cameras and arrested the five accused. The accused have been identified as bus drivers Dharmendra Kumar (32) and Rajpal (57); bus conductor Devendra (52); Rajesh Kumar Sonkar (38) and Ravi Kumar (34), Dehradun SSP Ajay Singh said. These incidents highlight the growing trend of sexual violence in India, where women and girls are increasingly vulnerable to sexual assault and exploitation.

Experts attribute the disturbing trend of rising sexual violence in India to a toxic mix of societal attitudes, weak law enforcement and a culture of impunity. The normalisation of misogyny and patriarchal mindsets, coupled with inadequate implementation of laws and lack of awareness, have created an environment where such heinous crimes are committed with alarming frequency, they say. Moreover, the politicisation of rape cases and the victim-blaming narrative only serve to embolden perpetrators and silence survivors. KMS-6R