The horrific rape incident at Pune's Swargate Bus Stand has once again exposed the deep-rooted issue of women's safety in India. A 26-year-old woman was raped in the early hours of Tuesday morning inside a state transport bus, just meters away from a police station. The accused, Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, a man with multiple past criminal cases, managed to flee but was eventually caught after an extensive police search using drones and sniffer dogs.
The process of attitudinal changes towards women’s safety in India, facilitated by certain high-profile cases over the past decade—as also left untouched by numerous undocumented or lesser known cases across the country—still hangs in limbo. It is more than clear that Indian society, administration, judiciary, and the press has not yet learnt how to respond to such gory incidents. Following the Pune rape case and nabbing of the accused for instance, Indian mass media seems to be overwhelmed by the heroics of the ‘failed’ police department in carrying out search operations, as well as the benevolence of the leaders in shunning the incident and granting compensations! The survivor-centric administrative action and reportage of the same is, as always, missing from the scene. Worst still, the politically motivated blame games now capture most of the headlines, only to be subsided into void after the passage of some time.
No wonder then, despite stricter laws and harsher punishments after the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, sexual violence remains a terrifying reality. Reports of rapes have consistently crossed 30,000 cases annually, with convictions remaining alarmingly low. Many perpetrators still believe they can get away with such crimes due to poor policing, inconsistent application of the law, and a legal system that often fails survivors. The outrage following the incident in discussion has been loud, with politicians across party lines demanding swift justice. Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar have called for the death penalty for the accused. At the same time, opposition leaders have criticised the ruling government for failing to ensure women's safety, pointing out that repeated warnings about the law and order situation were ignored.
Public anger is completely justified in the case. If a woman is not safe at a bus stand in a major city, then where can she feel safe? The problem is not just with laws; it is with their enforcement. Survivors of sexual violence continue to struggle for justice, often facing long legal battles, insensitive policing, and societal stigma. This is why fear of punishment remains weak, and offenders feel emboldened. Following the Pune incident, former Chief Justice DY Chandrachud rightly pointed out that laws alone cannot prevent such crimes. There needs to be a fundamental shift in societal attitudes, policing, and judicial efficiency. Until there is a guarantee of swift and certain justice, cases like the Pune bus rape will continue to haunt India society.
Beyond the political blame game, the real question is: when will India truly make its women feel safe? The answer lies in concrete action—better policing, faster trials, and a justice system that prioritises survivors' concerns and safety over routine technicalities. Until then, India will continue reacting to tragedy after tragedy, rather than preventing them in the very first place.