The Nirbhaya Case: A Study of Social Movements and Social Change

This report delves into the Nirbhaya case, a horrific gang rape incident in India in 2012, and its profound influence on social movements and social change. The report analyzes the incident, the subsequent public outrage, and the resulting 'Arab Spring' of India, characterized by widespread protests and media attention. It examines the role of emotions, collective identity, and social media in mobilizing the movement, and the cycle of protest and collective action that followed. The report also explores how the Nirbhaya case brought issues of masculinity, misogyny, and gender-based violence to the forefront of public discourse. By studying this case, the report highlights the ongoing struggle for women's rights and the evolution of social movements in contemporary India, emphasizing how the incident opened avenues for discussions on sexual violence, social activism, and the use of the word 'survivor' in public discourse.

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Abstract
In December 2012, the capital of India witnessed a horrendous criminal activity against a woman
who was aggressively gang-raped resulting to death and received severe criticism and media
attention across the nation. In India, there can be accounted over 65% of cases of crime against
women in 2015 has been reported which exhibited an undermined condition of women’s status in
the country. ‘Nirbhaya’ case typically regarded as India’s Arab Spring has been recognized by
unparalleled public indignation on social media and on the ground. Such a horrific incident of
rape and fatal assault of a young woman generated substantial level of national as well as
international exposure and received extensive criticism in India and worldwide. The report
offered inclusive insights of critical case of Nirbhaya, identified as one of the gruesome gang
rape incidents that occurred in 2012 that has highlighted the current status of women in the
Indian society.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Discussion........................................................................................................................................3
Nirbhaya Case-The Incident........................................................................................................3
Arab Spring of India....................................................................................................................4
The role of emotions and collective identity in Nirbhaya Movement.........................................5
Cycle of Protest and Collective Action.......................................................................................6
Collective Identity Constructed in Nirbhaya Movement.............................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
The general growth and development of nation chiefly relies on the utmost utilization of
people that is men and women. The past decades have witnessed substantial and verifiably
uncommon growth of women rights at economic as well as political domain in India whereby
women constitutes around 50% of the aggregate population. However, with recent changes and
developments in the nation, women gradually started recognizing their true potential. In recent
times, women in India have outshined in almost all domains starting from engaging to social
work to their contribution to science and technology (Ahmed, Jaidka & Cho, 2017, p. 452).
Renowned female personalities like Kiran Desai, Arundhati Roy and in film industry women
such as Rekha, Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra and political figures like Indira Gandhi have
served decisive role in their respective fields not only by playing feminised roles but have
claimed them over the male dominated sphere of the Indian society. Regardless of these
achievements, over 65% of cases of crime against women in 2015 has been reported which
exhibited an undermined condition of women’s status in the country (Chaudhuri, 2014, p. 35).
Thesis statement- This report will analyse the grave case of Nirbhaya, identified as one of the
gruesome gang rape incidents that occurred in 2012 that sheds light on the current status of
women in the Indian society.
Discussion
Nirbhaya Case-The Incident
New Delhi in December 2012 witnessed a ghastly crime which involved a 23 year old
female medical student was cruelly raped and fatally assaulted by a gang in a private bus along

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with her friend Awindra Pratap Pandey and later dumped onto the highway unconscious and
severely injured. Reports of Dey and Orton (2016) have revealed that more than a week
subsequent to the violent attack, the victim was shifted to Singapore for improved emergency
medical treatment but surrendered to her severe physical injuries after two days. Such a horrific
incident of rape and fatal assault of a young woman generated substantial level of national as
well as international exposure and received extensive criticism in India and worldwide.
Furthermore, several public remonstrations and dissent began to initiate not only in opposition to
the state but also against central governments. Such opposition rose primarily for significant
incompetence shown by state and central government in providing ample level of security and
protection for women thus led the occurrence of such a ghastly incident of Nirbhaya (Inchley,
2015, p. 275). The serious case of Nirbhaya not only instigated wide range of protests and
complaints all across the nation but also in few foreign nations like Canada. As per studies of
Kaur, (2017), with the prohibition of the Indian Law in revealing the actual identity of the
victim, the media recognized victim Jyoti Singh as ‘Nirbhaya’, which means ‘the fearless one’.
Furthermore, the unrelenting struggle, pain and later demise of Nirbhaya gradually developed as
a symbol of women’s’ opposition and resistance towards brutal act of rape in the world.
Arab Spring of India
‘Nirbhaya’ case typically regarded as India’s Arab Spring has been recognized by
exceptional public indignation on social media and on the ground (Flesher Fominaya & Gillan,
2017, p. 393). These remonstrations involved several demands which conflicted in opposition to
the unsatisfactory and incompetent security, insensitive law and regulations in addition to highly
erratic public transport which typically held liable rape victims for the crime imposed upon them
in addition to administration and red tape in relation to sexual attack and any form of rape

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incidents. Chaudhuri (2014) has noted that the Nirbhaya movement initiated as a leaderless
faction constituting decentralized structure but constituting networked community.
Comprehensive studies of Dey and Orton (2016) have opined that social media platforms such as
Twitter, Facebook in addition to news media served decisively in arranging and strategizing
protests, remonstrations and occupation of public arenas in the Nirbhaya Movement. Social
media served highly critical role in assembling the masses and further nurturing the improved
levels of involvement in these cases. Drawing relevance to the incidents taken place in
December 2012 protests, authors have noted that the Nirbhaya movement not only ignited a fire
within youths in India to fight against rape but also integrated diverse individuals across political
ideologies as well as classes, and experienced aggression and violence against a non-violent
movement from law enforcement agencies as well as other state security forces (Chaudhuri,
2014, p. 21).
The role of emotions and collective identity in Nirbhaya Movement
The place of indignation, dissent and emotions in modern India has been comprehended
from mass confrontation and protest regularly conducted across the nation. Such protest has been
performed with an intention to protest the lack of concern of the government towards ghastly
crime against women and delayed justice. In addition to the cocoon of urbanization with its
newly developed discussion concerning urban issues, there can be witnessed other forms of
protests which fail to persist its significance in the public eye for extensive period. Della Porta
and Mattoni (2014) have cited the instances of increased disturbances in north-western region of
India where women removed their clothes and protested their resistance towards sexual criminal
acts committed by Central Reserve Police Force. Furthermore, reports of Forno and Graziano
(2014) have revealed incidents of remonstrations by farmers in the North West with an aim of

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seeking higher rate of remuneration for damaged crops. For instance, Irom Sharmila also
recognized as the ‘Iron Lady’ is continuing her 15th year of fast-unto-death with an aim of
showing grievance against the Special Forces Act established to defend the Army in areas of
civil contention in addition to an upper class caste in the western region of India with a demand
of attaining authorities and privileges in employment sector as well as educational institutions.
Likewise, the Nirbhaya movement has been identified as another crucial example of such social
movement. In addition to its harmonization and in support of the outsized metropolitan middle-
class general public in the national capital, Nirbhaya Movement has been identified as one of the
primary explanations following an extensive involvement and incessant media attention (Safi,
2019).
Cycle of Protest and Collective Action
On the other hand, progressive approach evinced significant obligation to the notion of
equality and authorities over individual bodies, aims and sexuality. According to Dey and Orton
(2016), the subjugated ideas have supported by the ones perceived the previously developed
perception former, specifically the “reductive” problematisation of women’s rising level of self-
regulation and freedom has been viewed as a cause of violence which has been indisputably
rejected. However, progressions which arose in the course of the cycle of protests crystallised
certain issues focused by media. However, with cycle of protests and collective action from state
and local issues related to masculinity, misogyny as well as social approaches on the subject of
crimes and sexual violence against women has gradually attained a fundamental position in the
Indian media on Nirbhaya case. However, these evidences do not draw suggestions that the
Nirbhaya rape case with all of public discussion comprised of nuanced debate of the varied areas
of concerns fundamental to gender-based aggression and brutality. Drawing contradictions,

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Kavada (2015) has noted that remonstrations and mobilisations which emerged in response to the
case have been influenced by reflexive demands for instant justice for victim.
Collective Identity Constructed in Nirbhaya Movement
The association between given or chief identities in addition to collective identities have
been conceptualized in a range of ways by identifying active reflexive construction drawn in in
generating movement collective identities. Inchley (2015) has noted that the rise of social media
has resulted to serious discussions whether social movements efficiently alter collective identity
formation online in social movements. Meanwhile, Della Porta and Mattoni (2014) have noted
that have argued that social media tends to raise the interactive as well as collective elements of
collective identity, thus producing a political affairs of visibility in what is regarded as “cloud
protesting.” At this juncture, Forno and Graziano (2014) have clearly challenged the arguments
posed by other scholars stating that social media have made collective identity processes
principally unnecessary. Drawing insights from these evidences authors have noted that
Nirbhaya rape mobilizations has suggested that social media has been highly significant in
offering a platform which women can use in order to put forward their narrations of rape or
incidents of sexual violence and such opportunity to be vocal about these ghastly incidents
against women and being no more silent formed a master frame for mobilization which relied
greatly on shared collective identity (Kavada, 2015, p. 901).
Conclusion
Hence to conclude, the importance of the movement surpassed the incident of Nirbhaya
rape case and opened avenues and discourses regarding similar gruesome crimes against women.
The incessant media attention and collective action have established coherent space for

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discussion on the subject of sexual violence where social activists and journalists addressed
issues which have formerly been ignored by typical narratives and caste based sexual violence in
rural regions and marital rape. Furthermore, social media attention facilitated the word ‘survivor’
which started to be applied in public discussions rather than using the word ‘victim’, as activists
emphasized on consequence of rape being comprehended as any other form of brutality, in
contradiction to its form as the malevolent type of hostility which tends to be imposed upon other
individual.

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References
Ahmed, S., Jaidka, K., & Cho, J. (2017). Tweeting India’s Nirbhaya protest: a study of emotional
dynamics in an online social movement. Social Movement Studies, 16(4), 447-465.
Chaudhuri, M. (2014). National and global media discourse after the savage death of ‘Nirbhaya’:
Instant access and unequal knowledge. Studying Youth, Media and Gender in Post-
Liberalisation India. Focus on and beyond the ‘Delhi Gang Rape’. Berlin: Frank &
Timme, 19-44.
Della Porta, D., & Mattoni, A. (2014). Spreading protest (pp.1-23). Social movements in times of
crisis.
Dey, A., & Orton, B. (2016). Gender and Caste Intersectionality in India: An Analysis of the
Nirbhaya Case, 16 December 2012. In Gender and race matter: Global perspectives on
being a woman (pp. 87-105). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Flesher Fominaya, C., & Gillan, K. (2017). Navigating the technology-media-movements
complex. Social Movement Studies, 16(4), 383-402.
Forno, F., & Graziano, P. R. (2014). Sustainable community movement organisations. Journal of
Consumer Culture, 14(2), 139-157.
Inchley, M. (2015). Theatre as advocacy: asking for it and the audibility of women in Nirbhaya,
the fearless one. Theatre Research International, 40(3), 272-287.
Kaur, R. (2017). Mediating Rape: The Nirbhaya Effect in the Creative and Digital Arts. Signs:
Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 42(4), 945-976.

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Kavada, A. (2015). Creating the collective: social media, the Occupy Movement and its
constitution as a collective actor. Information, Communication & Society, 18(8), 872-886.
Kavada, A. (2015). Creating the collective: social media, the Occupy Movement and its
constitution as a collective actor. Information, Communication & Society, 18(8), 872-886.
Safi, M. (2019). Delhi Crime: Netflix drama takes on gang rape that shocked India. Retrieved
from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/21/delhi-netflix-drama-india-jyoti-
singh