Speaking to TNM, lawyer, human rights defender and executive director of People’s Watch, Henri Tiphagne, points out how this pattern of violence against women in any kind of conflict zone is repetitive. “In the instance of any major upheaval, be it caste-based, communal, or ethnic, gendered violence is the primary weapon of choice. This is true of conflicting groups of people and in the case of state authorities. When it comes to state authorities, sexual violence is an instrument of repressing entire groups of people. In India it is used predominantly against Dalit, Adivasi, Muslim and Christian women. And contrary to popular belief, similar violence, occurs in the southern part of the country as much as it does in the North.”