Marking a Month of Inaction on Patriarchal and Right-wing Violence in the National Capital: ALIFA Demands Legal Action & Accountability for Violence on Survivor & Feminist Organization
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Marking a Month of Inaction on Patriarchal and Right-wing Violence in the National Capital:
ALIFA Condemns Right-wing Violence on Queer Domestic Violence Survivor & Feminist Organization in Delhi: Demands Safety and Legal Action
19th March, 2026: Marking a month of inaction by the Delhi police in a matter of brazen patriarchal and right-wing violence, the All-India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA - NAPM), a pan-India collective of feminist, grassroots organizations and individuals calls for immediate accountability of the police and long overdue legal action against the perpetrators. We strongly condemn the attack on a survivor of domestic violence by self-styled right-wing bullies who call themselves ‘Bajrang Dal’. We express our solidarity with the survivor and the Delhi-based queer feminist organization Nazariya, supporting them and demand that the complaints filed against the attackers in February be treated with urgency and seriousness.
As per available information, the survivor voluntarily approached Nazariya, a long-standing queer trans feminist organization in Delhi and found refuge in a shelter home. From there, she made communicated to Police Stations (PS) with jurisdiction that she left her marital home of her own free will. On receipt of this communication, the PS are as per law responsible for protecting them. The survivor, a queer woman, was married against her will to a cis-man who, along with his family, subjected her to forced sex, physical and mental torture, which are crimes under the BNS.
The Bajrang Dal bullies sought to return the survivor to her natal or marital family, claiming to act in their interest. They also mobilized members of the Durga Vahini at the Police Station, forming a mob that attacked anyone who was trying to help the survivor withheld in the PS, while they were on the way to the PS. They verbally and physically attacked members of Nazariya, lawyers and threatened a member of the press attempting to cover the situation. Such an attack on the survivor essentially endorses the idea that women, once married, should stay in the marital home, even if they face sexual abuse, marital rape and violence. This is clearly misogynist homophobic behviour by the bullies who are an unregulated body of men and women. This is unconstitutional and unacceptable vigilantism.
There are few shelters and short stay homes that are available to women escaping domestic violence in our country. There are fewer still support systems for queer people who need to escape violence by marital and natal families. Nazariya, one of the few community-driven shelters, is such a much-needed resource in the capital.
That the Bajrang Dal and Durga Vahini would mount such a vicious attack that completely undermines a woman’s rights and freedom and targets her and anyone attempting to come to her aid comes as little surprise. The concerning aspect is the impunity with which they were allowed to do so, right in front of the police station, with no police personnel intervening to put a stop to this vicious attack. It is an outrageous violation of citizens’ right to protection from the state and its law enforcement authorities.
Perversely, the police who by law were responsible for protecting the survivor, appeared to act under the pressure of the vigilante mob, issuing threats and endeavouring to push the survivor into meeting her abusers - her natal and marital family. They also deliberately attempted to separate her from her support group-the lawyer and the members of Nazariya. This Police approach of condoning vigilante violence against women and queer survivors of violence is highly reprehensible.
This is symptomatic of the way in which increasingly state mechanisms are mobilized to target anyone attempting to resist right-wing patriarchal coercion and restrictions on individual autonomy. Such actions of law enforcement personnel themselves threaten the fundamental rights guaranteed to women and queer persons in the Constitution and in practice criminalize queer persons, in spite of absence of these provisions in BNS since Section 377 of IPC was struck down.
Marking a month of state and police inaction, we express our complete solidarity with the survivor and Nazariya and demand that the complaints filed against the attackers be treated with urgency and seriousness. The Bajrang Dal bullies should be immediately arrested and booked under relevant sections of the BNS.
The abusive behaviour of the Police towards the survivor in addition to their dereliction of their duty to protect the survivor and other citizens accompanying her must be investigated with utmost seriousness and legal action ensured, thereafter.
We are living in a society and ruled by a regime where patronage to the right-wing is constantly increasing. In such times, we call upon law enforcement authorities and even the judiciary to act in an impartial way to uphold constitutional rights in true spirit.
Issued by: All India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA - NAPM)
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