MBA Research Paper Prompt Example on the New Delhi attack: Jyoti Sing's story

On December 16th 2012, Jyoti Singh, a 23-year old student from New Delhi, was violently raped and sexually assaulted by a group of men on public transport. She later died of her injuries in a hospital in Singapore and a shocking attack became international news as thousands took to the streets in cities throughout India to protest against the brutality of not only the attack itself, but of the attitudes of doctors and others who should have helped and protected the victim.

The protests exposed major tensions within Indian society between the government and its people; as their GDP grows it is felt that the government is turning a blind eye to fermenting social issues such as attitudes towards women and other underprivileged groups. India has undergone dramatic change since the country was partitioned in 1947, seeking to establish a coherent national identity in a country with myriad languages and traditions. The reactions to the attack within India eloquently describe major social tensions underpinning the protests: on one hand outright condemnation from President Sonia Ghandi, on the other the spiritual guru AsaramBapu declaring that the victim shares the blame for her attack. The tension expressed is that between tradition and modernity, where changing values highlight the divisions in society which in the past it has been careful to keep concealed.

This single event in India raises social and political issues in countries far beyond its borders. Looking at the response within the British media as an example, the focus of many column inches has been the level of violence towards women in the UK, shifting from the external event to existing internal tensions. Concerns have been voiced about the latent and institutionalized sexism towards women in the UK which ensures that only around 2% of rape charges ever result in conviction. It has been suggested that senior figures within law enforcement and government might express a view closer to that of AsaramBapu if they knew they would not suffer a strong media backlash which could end their career.

Jyoti's father has called her death 'an awakening' for India, however in a world with instant mass communications her death has a much wider impact. The effect is particularly being felt in countries such as Britain, and others in the developed West, who would like to consider themselves far more socially advanced than facts perhaps suggest.