From brutal rapes abroad to cold-blooded killings at home, the stories of women’s suffering echo with disturbing familiarity across societies.
Only days after the horrifying assault of a young British Sikh woman in the UK, India has been shaken by yet another reminder of how women remain unsafe even when they seek the law’s protection.
In Gwalior, a 33-year-old woman was gunned down in broad daylight by the very man she had accused of harassment just three days earlier.
The incident unfolded on a busy street on Saturday when the accused, identified as 33-year-old contractor Arvind Parihar, intercepted the victim, Nandini, and opened fire in front of shocked bystanders.
Witnesses described a scene of sheer horror: “I was returning from court when I heard the shots. He fired three bullets at her in front of everyone.
She collapsed right there on the road while people stood frozen,” said Advocate M. P. Singh, who saw the shooting.
Police confirmed that Nandini suffered multiple bullet wounds and succumbed shortly after being rushed to the hospital.
Following the attack, Parihar remained at the spot, sitting beside her body with his weapon in hand. When officers arrived, he threatened them at gunpoint before being subdued with teargas shells and minimal force. His pistol was later seized.
Investigations have revealed a complicated and turbulent relationship between the victim and the accused.
Both were married with children when they entered into a relationship. In 2023, without informing their families, they went through an Arya Samaj wedding ceremony in Murar, but continued to remain legally married to their respective spouses.
According to police, constant quarrels and disputes followed, leading to repeated complaints lodged by Nandini.
On September 9, just three days before her murder, Nandini had submitted a complaint at the Superintendent of Police’s office, accusing Parihar of deceiving her into marriage despite already being married, and of harassing her with threats to return to the relationship. She claimed he had been tormenting her for months.
Nandini’s past also reflected the scars of a turbulent life. In 2017, she had been jailed in connection with a murder case and was released in 2022 after serving a four-and-a-half-year sentence.
In 2024, she accused Parihar of attempting to run her over with a car, leading to his arrest on attempted murder charges.
Yet, in court, Nandini later retracted her statement, paving the way for his bail after three months in jail. Police say that in several other complaints as well, the cases collapsed because she withdrew her testimony.
Senior officers disclosed that after his release, the two reconnected. Disputes over property and marriage soon followed, with Nandini allegedly pressuring Parihar to transfer his assets and leave his wife.
The repeated cycle of conflict, legal complaints, reconciliations, and compromises ultimately spiraled into Saturday’s fatal shooting.
What stands out beyond the tragic details of this case is the broader pattern: women who dare to speak out against harassment, coercion, or deception often find themselves unprotected, their pleas ignored, until violence claims their lives.
Whether in the streets of Gwalior or in the parks of Oldbury in the UK, where a 20-year-old British Sikh woman was raped last week and told to “go back to her country,” the underlying message remains chillingly consistent — women continue to be denied safety, dignity, and justice.
Until these cycles of abuse are addressed with seriousness and accountability, tragedies like Nandini’s will remain grimly repetitive headlines.
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