But what follows the protests and the short-lived, albeit well-meaning, shows of strength? Despite all the noise and media attention, three of the four men accused in the Hathras case were set free by an Uttar Pradesh court in 2023. The fourth was found guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and under sections of the SC/ST Act, but not of rape. The Mathura rape survivor, who became an international symbol against gender-based violence at the time, continues to live a diminished life in rural Maharashtra, with her perpetrators found not guilty as the courts refused to believe her. In Hyderabad, protests following the 2019 gang rape led the Hyderabad police to issue a 14-point “advisory” for women, essentially containing tips on how not to get raped. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s response was to impose an 8 pm curfew on women employees of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation, prohibiting them from working night shifts. The 23-year-old victim of the Unnao rape, in which BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar was eventually convicted, was set on fire by miscreants on her way to testify in court. Incidentally, Mamata Banerjee had stirred up a hornet's nest after calling the 2015 Suzette Jordan gang rape in Park Street a "shajano ghotona" (fake incident) by the Left to politically destabilize the TMC government. While this time 'Didi,' who pitches herself as a women's leader, has refrained from making such comments about the rape and has sought punishment, she has accused BJP and the Left of causing unrest amid ongoing public protests. She has also praised Kolkata Police's handling of the case, which has otherwise been widely criticized. The case has since been handed over to the CBI for investigation by the Calcutta High Court, which removed Kolkata Police from the case citing significant lapses on their part.