Country-wide protests have erupted over gang rape of a Dalit woman by upper caste Hindus in Uttar Pardesh, India.

Reuters and BBC reported that India was one of the world’s most dangerous places for women, with a rape occurring every 15 minutes and there was no decline in crimes against women in the country.                                             

Meanwhile, police detained Congress party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi as they tried to meet the family of the woman in Uttar Pardesh.

Rape and sexual violence were highlighted in India after the rape-slay incident of a 23-year-old student on a bus in New Delhi in 2012, which paved the way for changes in India’s rape laws. This sparked massive protests which led to formation of fast track courts for cases of sexual violence.

According to a government data, every 15 minutes a rape occurs in India. As per the data, police lodged 33,658 cases of rape in 2017 — an average of 92 per day and a 35% jump from 2012. About 10,000 of the reported victims were children. The real figure is believed to be far higher due to the stigma of sexual violence.

Also Read: Rape of the “Lesser Beings” and India’s reaction to it