Mass protests have erupted across India's university campuses in response to a series of alleged rapes in Delhi in recent weeks. Among the incidents cited are the alleged gang-rape of a 17-year-old in a public park and another 17-year-old who was allegedly gang-raped and murdered in Swaroop Nagar.
Rapes of an 11-year-old and a six-year-old were also reported in the same month, and a 16-year-old was allegedly raped by a bus driver and conductor last month. Women protesting on Delhi university campuses have condemned these alleged violent rapes.
The Supreme Court commented this week that the five successive rape cases "starkly underlined a systematic failure" and noted it could not help but "draw painful parallels to the Nirbhaya incident of 2012".
Protesters, including students from Delhi University, have expressed anger at the authorities' response, which they say has focused on policing women's freedoms, such as advising women to avoid parks at night and halting classes at a female college. Students argue that a deep societal shift is required, where men do not feel ownership over women's bodies.