Justice for Jisha: Will India unite for Kerala's Nirbhaya?

New Delhi: The brutal rape and murder of a 30-year-old law student at her home in Kerala has sent shockwaves across the country.

The savagery and barbarity with which the Dalit woman was assaulted at Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district on April 28 reminds one of `Nirbhaya`, the victim of 2012 Delhi gang-rape.

Post-mortem report suggests that Jisha was beaten savagely by the accused using a sharp weapon that pulled out her intestines. There were over 30 injury marks on her body. Two sides of her chest were found to be pierced to almost two inches deep. She was also hit in the genitals with an iron rod. An injury on her head is, however, cited as the main reason of her death.

The Kerala Police, after being severely criticised for inaction in the case even days after the incident came to light, has detained two persons and their interrogation is on.

Meanwhile, protests have erupted in poll-bound Kerala, demanding justice for Jisha.

The social media is flooded with doubts if outrage against rapes is selective. Some users doubted if the case will be taken as seriously as Nirbhaya's, or if people of the country rise in unison to denounce the incident as happened in 2012. Huge protests had erupted across country, seeking justice for Nirbhaya.

The gruesome rape and murder of a girl by a group of men on a moving bus in Delhi December 16, 2012, had shocked the nation. `Nirbhaya` became the pseudonym given to the gang-rape victim whose death in 2012 brought worldwide attention to violence against women. The incident also brought about new laws that doubled prison terms for rape and criminalised voyeurism and stalking.