India's southern state of Kerala has exploded in revulsion and anger over the rape, murder and mutilation of a 30-year-old law student. The case has disturbing parallel with the gang-rape and torture of a 23-year-old girl in New Delhi in 2012. What has enraged the people is the police inaction in the crucial first hours or days after the murder, which took place on April 28 and the fact that police failed to act on earlier complaints from the family. That the victim belonged to a lower caste has added a political dimension to the protests over the police failure to apprehend the culprit or culprits though many people have been taken into custody and questioned. In recent years, New Delhi has earned the title of "rape capital" of India, but women regularly face sexual harassment and assault in all parts of the country. The crime can take place anywhere. The Delhi student Jyothi Singh was attacked and molested in a private bus while the Kerala girl Jisha met with a brutal end in her home where she was found by her mother in a pool of blood. It was Singh's case that shot the problem of sexual violence in India to global prominence. Although that incident led to an overhaul of India's rape laws, the problem persists. Every 20 minutes, a woman is raped in India. The latest official figures show that 36,735 rapes were reported across the country in 2014. Surprisingly, even Kerala with its highest literacy rate, the highest women's literacy at 92 percent and a healthy sex ratio (966 per 1,000 men) is no different when it comes to women's safety. According to the data on the Kerala Police website, the number of rape cases rose to 1,263 in 2015 from 1,132 four years ago. The incidence of rape in Kerala is 63 per 100,000 population, while the national average stands at 56.3. Last week there were three other cases of rape or sexual assault in the state and the victims included a minor girl and an old woman. India toughened its anti-rape laws in response to the outcry following the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder. Several new laws were passed and six new fast-track courts created to hear rape cases, but it did not have the desired impact. One reason is India's court system is painfully slow. The country has about 15 judges for every 1 million people, while China has 159. For rapes that do get reported, India's conviction rate is no more than 26 percent. There is also no law against other forms of sexual harassment. Shortage of female police officers is another problem. Studies show that women are more likely to report sex crimes if female police officers are available. Indian police have been found to be insensitive when dealing with crimes against women. Some police officers ask rape victims or their relatives vulgar questions. This as well as the stigma attached to rape prevents many women from approaching the police. An 18-year-old woman in the Indian state of Punjab who was raped by two men killed herself because the police delayed registering the case or arresting the rapists. A 17-year-old girl, a victim of gang rape, killed herself after police pressured her to drop the case and marry one of the rapists. In June 2015, in a much-condemned order, the Madras High Court asked a man, sentenced to seven years for raping a minor, to "settle the matter by mediation" meaning that he marry her. "It would be a true homage to her memory if we are able to channelize these emotions and energies into a constructive course of action," said then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh referring to Jyothi Singh's tragic end. The Kerala girl's death proves that if there was a "course of action", it was neither constructive nor one addressing the gravity of the situation.
