Women in Delhi and the solidarities that walk with them through dark nights

As Delhi sleeps on a Friday night, women come together to walk through streets lined with streetlamps that do not work, streets bereft of footpaths, streets where cars and occasional stares zoom past, and streets that belong to them, despite the circumstances trying to tell them otherwise.

In Vasant Kunj, Disha Barwal, 21, a Delhi University (DU) student, is on her first midnight walk in the city. She says, “For those who do this often, I wonder if walking during a time like this feels heavier, politically,” referring to the recent incident where a minor was gang-raped by a group of men in Delhi's Astha Kunj park.

As she disassociates and stares at the ground while walking, she says she is scared herself, but the walk is important to her; “I'm here so that they see us doing this more and are not surprised to see women out at night.”