I went to Delhi University in the 1980s -- to a women’s college. One morning, we arrived in college to hear the shocking news that a classmate’s boyfriend, after she broke up with him, had gone to her house and shot her. Our classmate stayed in coma for a month before she passed away, before she had even turned 20. I didn’t know her well -- I only noticed that given her seemingly conventional background, she had a rather androgynous dressing sense and a challenging air, which made her stand out.

I don’t remember the meaning of this incident ever being discussed. I’m not sure it was even reported in the papers -- maybe it was. I don’t know whether such incidents occurred with the scary frequency they do now, the latest of which took place last week at Jawaharlal Nehru University, where a young man attacked another student and ended up killing himself. Why does one inflict violence to others and himself when confronted with refusal? Do the young men who carry out this violence feel a sense of entitlement? Do they feel the loss of entitlement? It is important we find new ways to talk about and address these stories.