The murder in broad daylight of a 20-year-old Delhi University student has provoked a public outcry over a wave of brutal attacks on women in India’s capital.
Police said last week they had identified the suspect as an embroidery factory worker called Ram Singh. They claimed he planned the murder as revenge for being humiliated and beaten up when he was caught stalking Tanwar three years ago. Singh is on the run.
Hundreds of students held a protest march and Tanwar’s death has become a focus for anger over attacks on young professional women and students. On average nine women a week are raped in the capital.
Details of the attack have shocked a city hardened to violence. Tanwar was walking to her college through the Dhaula Kuan district in prosperous south Delhi with her friend Aditya at 10.15am. A 30-year-old call centre worker had been gang-raped there last November.
Tanwar was shot from behind through the neck at point-blank range. Aditya gave chase but nobody helped him. Tanwar lay bleeding for 15 minutes before a policeman forced a rickshaw driver to take her to hospital. She was dead on arrival.
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Her father, Rajinder, an estate agent, said he had no idea she had been stalked.
Many young women are afraid to complain about harassment for fear of losing their prized independence or being blamed for attracting unwanted attention. “Men park their cars here and stare at girls, passing lewd comments,” said a female student. “The police ask us to describe in detail how their remarks cause harassment. This is what deters us from reporting to them.”
Experts blame a “rural-urban conflict” for Delhi’s poor record on women’s safety, pointing to the influx of ill-educated men from the countryside who are unprepared for urban society and its independent women. “They think any woman is easy prey,” said Rajesh Sagar, a professor of psychiatry. “It’s not just about sex. It’s a statement about being in control.”