On September 21, 2024, Delhi Police arrested three men after a 17‑year‑old girl was allegedly assaulted in Kalkaji Park, a public space adjacent to the Kalkaji Mandir. They used the word ‘Janab’ to pose as officers, separated the girl and her friend, took her to a secluded part of the park, and threatened silence. One suspect, the alleged mastermind, was injured during an encounter.
Earlier that month, a 56‑second video from Jagatsinghpur village shows a girl being dragged by a group of men on September 15 in Samastipur, Bihar; the boy fled, and four men were arrested. In Jamui on September 19, a boy and girl on a scooter were assaulted by a group who filmed the incident; five individuals were detained after a police encounter. Delhi also reported a 16‑year‑old gang‑raped and murdered in Swaroop Nagar on September 10, a 10‑year‑old assaulted inside a Sadar Bazar tailoring shop on September 16, and a six‑year‑old assaulted in Kishan Ganj on September 21.
The National Crime Records Bureau reports 4,41,534 crimes against women in 2024 – about 1,210 a day – with 29,536 rapes and a 1.5% drop from 2023. Delhi recorded 130.7 cases per lakh women, double the national average of 64.6, while Bihar posted 27,359 cases, a 33% rise over two years.
For the victims, these statistics are not abstract numbers. In Kalkaji, the 17‑year‑old hails from a low‑income family and says she was terrified, her voice trembling when she recounted the assault. In Samastipur, the victim, a 12‑year‑old, was dragged repeatedly, her cries echoing through the village.
Delhi Police are conducting a comprehensive probe into all nine reported incidents, and the government has announced a review of safety protocols in public parks and roads. The cases have spurred activists to demand stricter enforcement of the new criminal code introduced in 2024.