In India, a nationally ranked taekwondo player woman was subjected to gang rape in a religiously significant ashram (a religious center), as reported by Indian media.
According to a report, this incident occurred in an ashram located in front of a police station in the city of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, where the woman national player was mistreated.
Indian media reports state that the woman wanted to establish a shop for selling used clothes and was looking for a place for it. During this time, she contacted a person named Govind Mahto, who took her to influential people inside the ashram for help.
The woman claimed that she was offered a sweet (ladoo) inside the ashram, and after eating it, she lost consciousness. After that, Govind Mahto, the chief priest of the ashram, and several other people gang-raped her.
The police further explained that this incident happened earlier this year, but due to fear of influential people, the woman filed a complaint only after 4 months and named four individuals, including the temple priest. The woman also submitted a video as evidence of the incident that happened to her.
Notably, India faces a significant challenge with sexual violence, with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reporting 31,677 rape cases in 2022, averaging 86 cases daily, though experts estimate underreporting due to social stigma, fear of retaliation, and police inaction.
Deep-rooted patriarchal norms, often reinforced by cultural and social structures, contribute to gender-based violence, with 57% of boys and 53% of girls aged 15–19 justifying wife-beating in a 2012 UNICEF survey.
