4 min readJun 19, 2026 06:20 PM IST
First published on: Jun 19, 2026 at 06:20 PM IST
Equality was one of the basic principles of India’s freedom movement. The country’s founding fathers strove for equality irrespective of religion, caste, or gender. They ensured that women got equal rights to vote, own property, and participate in public life. Independent India aspired to be a progressive nation that treated its women with dignity, respect, and justice. It is, therefore, disturbing that, as India approaches the 79th year of Independence, women’s safety remains in crisis. According to the Women, Peace and Security Index 2023, India ranks 131st out of 177 countries, placing it behind several of its regional peers. For a nation that prides itself on being a global power, this is a sobering reality.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to implement the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which seeks to increase women’s representation in legislatures. To fast-track it, the government introduced the 131st Amendment bill, which couldn’t muster the required two-thirds majority. Today, the BJP seems to be using unfair means to break the TMC and the Shiv Sena to get that majority. A question must also be asked of the party whose leader has often used the Beti Bachao Beti Padao slogan: What has it done for the security of women on the ground?
The case of Bilkis Bano offers a troubling answer. In August 2022, the 11 men convicted of gang-raping Bilkis Bano during the 2002 Gujarat riots were released under a remission policy. Images of the convicts being garlanded upon release by some BJP members shocked the nation. The BJP MP from Dahod, Jaswantsinh Bhabhor, and his brother, the party’s MLA from Limkheda, Saileshbhai Bhabhor, even shared the stage with Shailesh Chimanlal Bhatt, one of the 11 men convicted for gang-raping Bilkis Bano. All this gave the message that even in one of the country’s most notorious cases of sexual violence, justice appeared negotiable.
Similarly disturbing is the treatment of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, who is serving life sentences in two rape cases. He got parole recently and reportedly visited the Ram Mandir and delivered satsangs in Varanasi. What does this say about the government’s commitment to women?
Then there is Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, convicted of rape and murder, who has been granted parole on numerous occasions since his conviction in 2017. Parole decisions ultimately require the involvement of state authorities. The frequency with which such relief has been granted has fuelled concerns that political considerations often outweigh sensitivity toward victims and their families.
In 2023, several friends from other countries called me to ask why PM Modi was not listening to India’s celebrated women wrestlers, including Olympic medalists, who had accused BJP MP and then Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment. Instead of receiving swift justice, the athletes found themselves protesting on the streets of the national capital. The images of the wrestlers being detained by the police while the accused remained politically influential sparked outrage both within India and abroad.
The broader statistics paint an equally troubling picture. Crimes against women remain alarmingly high, with hundreds of thousands of cases registered annually. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, in 2023, 15,000 dowry cases were recorded, with 6,100 deaths — a 14 per cent increase from the previous year. Cases of crimes against women rose from 4.45 lakh in 2022 to 4.48 lakh in 2023.
In which civilised nation is this acceptable? In numerous cases of dowry deaths, domestic violence, sexual assault, and harassment, women continue to face harassment and conviction rates often remain low. It is time for society to show the BJP government the mirror and hold it accountable.
The writer is national spokesperson, Indian National Congress
A question must also be asked of the party whose leader has often used the Beti Bachao Beti Padao slogan: What has it done for the security of women on the ground? 
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