Sexual assault and violence against women in India are endless issues marked by deep-rooted systemic challenges and societal attitudes that often compound the trauma experienced by survivors. Instead of receiving empathy and support, they are often subjected to lewd remarks, jokes, suggestive comments, and inappropriate behaviour.

The National Conference on Rape in 1990 poignantly declared that 'A woman victim of rape is raped twice -- first by the culprit and then by the criminal justice system'. This stark declaration underscores the painful reality faced by survivors of sexual assault in India.

Over the past decade or two, there has been a significant shift in public awareness and government response to sexual violence, largely due to changes in existing regulations and efforts to educate the public on the issue. 

The 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder, also known as the Nirbhaya case, had a profound impact on the country. It led to widespread protests in New Delhi, where thousands of people clashed with security forces, demanding better protection for women and holding the state and central governments accountable for their perceived failure to ensure women's safety.

At the forefront of the movement were women, those college students, working-class women and elderly people. In the succeeding years, the country witnessed many such women-led protests. 

At this juncture, we recall one such incident when the women folk from an entire village rallied behind a rape survivor seeking justice. However, this protest, which came to be known as a 'Kitchen Bandh' protest, occurred 30 years ago in Kerala's Kannur.  

This event unfolded on a Sunday, August 11, 1996, in Kollada, in the hilly East Eleri Panchayat of Kasaragod district.

The catalyst for this strike was the notorious 'Kannur Kota gang rape' (Kannur Fort Rape Case) incident of 1993, known locally as the Kota incident. A young woman, who was visiting the Kannur Fort (under the Kerala Government) with her husband, was abducted and raped by four men in his presence. The incident gained significant attention due to organized efforts by women advocating for justice.

"A 22-year-old victim. She does not have much education or world experience. All she knows is that her husband is employed in a hotel in Bengaluru. She comes from a daily wager family. She accompanied her on the fateful day to her husband's workplace. As the bus from Kannur to Bengaluru is delayed, he takes her to Kannur Fort for sightseeing. There she was gang-raped. But some of the locals said that she went for prostitution. After hearing this, we asked them whether it is right to rape a sex worker. This was one of the first slogans we raised as part of our protest," recalls Sulfath M Sulu, the joint convener of the Sthree Neethi Samithi (SNS), the organisation that played a pivotal role in leading the Kitchen Bandh protest along with A Badharunneesa, the convener of the committee.

About 500 women from the village marched down the hillside to the panchayat ground for a 'Kitchen Bandh'. For two days, they refused to cook anything at home for their families and instead prepared food publicly on the ground. The women demanded a thorough investigation, especially after suspicions arose regarding the victim's husband's involvement in the incident.

"When the incident gained public attention, a few of us visited the victim's house but were denied access to her. The local atmosphere was unwelcoming, with hostility towards the victim, who was labelled her as a prostitute," Sulfath M Sulu recounted. 

"This led us to dig deeper into the matter. Upon meeting her, she disclosed that her husband was among those who assaulted her. There were widespread misconceptions about the woman who was raped. The village unfairly viewed her through a lens of moral judgment," recalled Sulfath M Sulu. 

"To counter these biases, we embarked on a door-to-door campaign, educating and persuading villagers about the truth of the incident. We spoke to them about the importance of supporting the woman," she added.

"With the support of the women of Kollada, we decided on a two-day kitchen boycott as a form of protest," Sulfath continued. "During those days, women refrained from cooking at home. They gathered in the village ground, about 500 homemakers strong, shouting slogans and cooking food openly. Even men started to support us. Those who were hostile to us in the beginning started to rally behind us."

The protest received national attention, prompting the government to reopen the case. "It was established that the crime was orchestrated by the victim's husband, with the involvement of his friends. The court pronounced them guilty, sentencing them to 7 years in prison and awarding them a fine of Rs 50,000 to be paid to the victim," Sulfath M Sulu explained.