A new book asks how (and whether) the government has responded to sexism and violence against women

Women, particularly educated, liberated and empowered ones, have always been targeted by conservative right-wing groups (a display of “Hindutva masculinity”). Right-wing women’s groups attack such women to protect Hindu “sanskriti” (culture) from Western influences. Celebrating Valentine’s Day, sitting or going out with male friends attracts swift punitive actions. Top BJP and RSS leaders are known for their misogyny. They often ask Hindu women to be confined to home, take care of husbands and produce more children to ward off dangers from Muslims. The Prime Minister once indirectly referred to then Congress president Sonia Gandhi as “Congress ki vidhwa” (widow of the Congress) at a public rally, likened then Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury to “Suparnkha” (an evil mythological character) inside the Parliament and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s wife a “50-crore-rupee girlfriend.”

It is not surprising a parliamentary panel said, in its December 2021 report, that the government’s “Beti bachao, Beti padhao” scheme had spent 79 per cent of its budget on publicity alone during 2016-2019, although the NITI Aayog claimed in 2021 that the “Beti bachao, Beti Padhao” is a success story.

According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, sex ratio has been falling since 2020 in more than a dozen states. Yet...

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