Killed, assaulted for resisting rape
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COMMENTS 
A victim of attempted rape had her ear cut off while another died while jumping out of a moving train. Both were trying to escape their attackers
Two women who resisted being raped ended up dead in one case and severely injured in the other, turning the spotlight yet again on increasing crimes against women.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district, a teenage dalit girl was returning home from the fields when she was accosted by three young men who tried to gag her and tear off her clothes. She resisted them and managed to shout for help. The men assaulted her with a sharp weapon, causing deep gashes on her face and hands, and cut off her ear before she managed to run away.
In Kerala, a 23-year-old woman travelling alone in a ladies compartment between Thrisur and Shornur was molested by a man who got into the unguarded compartment. She jumped out of the moving train to escape the man, and landed badly injured on the tracks. The man jumped after her and raped her while she lay unconscious. The woman died of her injuries; her murderer, known to have a criminal record, has been arrested.
According to official statistics, every third minute a case of violence against women is registered in India. Every day, 50 cases of dowry-related violence are reported and every 29th minute a woman is raped. The latest National Crime Report Bureau report shows that there has been a rise in crimes against women in India, with the national capital Delhi recording nearly 25% of all rape cases (data was captured for 2009). Compared to 2008, there was an increase of 4.1% in the number of crimes against women in the country. In 2008, a total of 195,856 cases were reported. This rose to 203,804 in 2009.
Reports of violent crimes specifically directed against women appear in the national newspapers every day. There are numerous types of violence against women, often resulting in death -- ‘honour’ killings, rape, domestic violence, sex-selective abortions, accusations of witchcraft, the devdasi system that still exists in pockets, and newer forms of violence growing out of new technology such as blackmail using spy cameras, MMS or video clips.
Laws have been strengthened, though not enough; enhanced punishment has been legislated but cultural and patriarchal structures are powerful influences that still hold sway.
Source: DNA, February 7, 2011
The Indian Express, February 7, 2011
National Crime Report Bureau report 2009