India news: Murders following romantic rejections increase

Here is a roundup of the latest news from India on Thursday, July 16:

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Government bars deployment of Indian sailors on Strait of Hormuz

India on Thursday called to stop deploying Indian seafarers on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran.

The Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) said in a statement on Wednesday that there should be "no deployment of Indian seafarers on vessels undertaking voyages involving passage through the Strait of Hormuz until further orders."

"The DGMA continues to closely monitor the evolving security situation and remains committed to safeguarding the safety, security and welfare of Indian seafarers," it said.

The advisory comes amid growing security concerns in the Gulf and follows the deaths of at least two Indian sailors in attacks on commercial vessels in the region since last week.

On Tuesday, attacks on two UAE-linked commercial vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz with 30 Indian crewmembers left one Indian sailor dead and 10 others injured, the ministry statement said.

India's foreign ministry described the attacks as "deeply worrisome."

According to India's shipping ministry, there are more than 300,000 active seafarers, making India one of the largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping worldwide.

Sonam Wangchuk continues hunger strike, court directs health monitoring

On the 19th day of environmental and education reform activist Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike, Delhi High Court on Thursday reportedly directed authorities to monitor his health daily amid concerns over his deteriorating condition.

The government assured the court that the activist's health would be monitored, the Hindustan Times reported.

Wangchuk, along with supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), are camped at the capital's historic grounds of Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Supporters of the viral "cockroach" movement are calling for Pradhan's ouster over alleged exam irregularities.

Wangchuk on Wednesday refused to end his fast, saying doing so would send a message to the government that they don't have to be accountable to the people.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke earlier reported that the 59-year-old was rapidly losing weight and muscle mass with blood sugar dropping to abnormally low levels.

Meanwhile, the CJP organized a one-day mass hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in solidarity with Wangchuk on Thursday.

What is driving instances of violence following rejected romantic advances?

Most of the recent cases of violence following rejected romantic advances disproportionately involve men attacking women.

Mumbai-based psychotherapist Arpita Bohra told DW that such possessiveness and entitlement stem from perpetrators' viewing of women as something they possess rather than as autonomous individuals.

Bohra said the violence comes "from the sense that this is mine. It belongs to me. If I can't have it, nobody else can have it," a mindset she said is driven by the dehumanization of women.

"When a boundary is set, when the woman becomes unavailable, there is a very destructive aggression and entitlement that comes out," she said, adding that such violence is often used to "punish women" and "put women in their place."

Riya Khanna, a psychologist, points out that men are brought up with a sense of entitlement that "dictates them to take extreme action if something is not going their way."

"Such men might have been privy to instances of violence, abuse, or volatile environment which can make them believe that is normal," Khanna said.

Is violence against women an epidemic no one cares about?

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India's spate of gender violence following rejected romantic advances

The death of the student in Bangalore was one of many similar incidents across India resulting in murder following rejected proposals or romantic advances:

May 16, Jadcherla, Telangana: A 22-year-old woman was stabbed multiple times after reportedly rejecting a man's marriage proposal, according to The New Indian Express newspaper

May 29, Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh: An 18-month-old boy was killed by a man after the boy's mother allegedly rejected the man's marriage proposal, multiple news reports said. The man was sentenced to death

June 29, Bengaluru, Karnataka: A 23-year-old woman was stabbed to death by her boyfriend after she allegedly refused to marry him, The New Indian Express reported

July 3, Bolangir, Odisha: A man attacked the family of woman who had called off their marriage earlier and killed her uncle, the India Today reported

July 9, Bengaluru, Karnataka: A man stabbed his ex-girlfriend after she rejected his attempts to revive their relationship and was going to marry someone else, NDTV reported. The woman survived the attack

July 9, Chennai: A man was arrested for assaulting and threatening to kill a woman after she pressed him to marry her following a relationship, the Times of India said

July 15, Howrah, West Bengal: A 16-year-old schoolgirl was stabbed to death by a man after allegedly rejecting his advances, according to the Times of India

India's women step up: Courage against violence and misogyny

Bengaluru student's dies after being attacked following rejected proposal

A student in her 20s died in the southern city of Bengaluru on Wednesday evening, over 48 hours after she was reportedly stabbed by the brother of a man whose marriage proposal she had rejected, the Times of India said, citing local police.

According to investigators quoted by the newspaper, the student called off her relationship with her partner, Dhanush, after she found out that he had allegedly concealed that he had previously been married and had a child.

Dhanush's brother, Surya, had threatened the victim over her decision and during an altercation at her home on Monday, he allegedly stabbed her in the chest and the back, the report said.

The suspect was apprehended by police. Both Surya and Dhanush are in police custody as authorities investigate their roles in the incident.

There have been a spate of such attacks over rejected proposals in India recently.

Hello! This is Shakeel from DW's New Delhi Studio, bringing you the latest news from across India.

On Wednesday, a student died in Bengaluru after she was reportedly stabbed by the brother of a man whose marriage proposal she had rejected. This was just another in a string of murders and attacks over failed romantic overtures.

In New Delhi, the Cockroach Janta Party protest is ongoing as hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk's condition deteriorated on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Indian government barred Indian seafarers from the Strait of Hormuz following an upsurge in attacks in the region.

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