The crime near Hampi, a beautiful and peaceful place, turned into a nightmare. The area, with calm waters and rocky hills, seemed like an ideal spot for a group to relax, play guitar, and watch the stars. But for two women—a tourist from Israel and her homestay host—it became the site of a terrible crime.
Both women were raped, and the three men involved, tourists from the U.S., Maharashtra, and Odisha, were thrown into a canal.
Sadly, the man from Odisha didn’t survive. While the police took action and arrested the suspects, this incident reminded us that even after the Nirbhaya case over ten years ago, sexual violence is still widespread in India. Women suffer the most, but even the men who care for them or are simply with them are not safe.
Political outrage often follows party lines, which shows how sexual violence has become almost normalized in the country. Last year, after a Spanish tourist was gang-raped in Jharkhand, the National Commission for Women was more concerned about protecting India’s image than addressing the crime. The chairperson even claimed that millions of tourists, including solo women, travel safely in India, implying that the country cares deeply about women’s safety.
However, this is far from the truth. India is regularly ranked as one of the most dangerous places for solo women travelers, and both Indian and foreign women face serious safety risks. After the Nirbhaya case, the UN’s human rights chief called rape a “national problem�.