© 2026 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Indian Government's Slow Response To Rapes Poses 'Existential Crisis,' Activist Says

Indians carry placards and march in a rally demanding the investigation into the rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in Jammu, India, Thursday, April 19, 2018. (Channi Anand/AP)
Indians carry placards and march in a rally demanding the investigation into the rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in Jammu, India, Thursday, April 19, 2018. (Channi Anand/AP)

Editor’s Note: This segment discusses rape and sexual violence, and contains audio that some listeners may find disturbing or offensive.


There have been protests in northern India this week over the rape and murder of an 8-year-old Muslim girl in January. The case has taken a political turn, because two officials from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party protested in favor of the accused men, who are Hindus. Those officials resigned last week.

And another rape has been roiling India: A member of Modi’s party is accused of raping a 16-year-old, and he was only arrested earlier this month.

Here & Now‘s Eric Westervelt (@Ericnpr) speaks with Indian activist and former civil servant Aruna Roy, one of many who wrote a letter to Modi calling his government’s response “feeble and inadequate.” Modi addressed the controversy Wednesday while on a trip to London.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.