The slogans are new, invoking samosas, kachoris, chai and suttas (cigarettes). The message is as old as the nation: Women protesting against sexual assault. But with a added twist of the right to equal public space.

Ek sutta do chai, mard jaati hai hai.

A series of sexual assaults through the month of September has seen the rage and anger of women spill onto the streets starting on September 23, days after a 17-year-old was gang-raped by three men at the Aastha Kunj Park in Delhi. One of the accused men was caught following a shootout by the police at the gates of the Lady Shriram College (LSR), located just two kilometres from the park.

The women’s college, ranked among the top in India, shifted classes online for a day. Reports pointed to basic security lapses at the park including poor lighting, broken boundary walls and unattended entry points—all easily fixable.

Within hours of the crime, police patrolling was beefed up. Delhi’s lieutenant governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu ordered a comprehensive safety audit of all Delhi parks. Entry to public parks, announced the Delhi Development Authority, would be restricted after sunset.

The restrictions on students carried an old message—lock women up for their own safety—and only seemed to infuriate them more. Hundreds of women came out on the street, demanding not just safety but also the right to........

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