This cartoon comments on the decision by Delhi’s Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) to temporarily shift classes online following the alleged gang-rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir. The incident was followed by a police encounter with one of the accused near the college’s back gate, intensifying concerns about the safety of students in the surrounding area.
The cartoon presents a starkly ironic message through a roadside sign: “बेटी (ऑनलाइन) पढ़ाओ, बेटी बचाओ” — a satirical twist on the familiar “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” slogan.
A young woman riding a scooter passes the sign, creating a simple but powerful visual contrast. The original slogan promotes the education and protection of girls, while the cartoon questions what “protection” means when concerns about safety force an educational institution to move classes away from the physical campus.
The satire lies in the word “online.” Education continues, but the cartoon suggests that girls are being protected by keeping them away from the physical environment rather than making that environment safer.
LSR temporarily shifted classes online after the incident, while the college also sought increased police patrolling around the campus and advised students and staff to avoid gathering near the back gate.
The cartoon therefore turns a government slogan into a pointed question about women’s safety, public spaces and access to education. Its message is not that online education is inherently problematic, but that the need to retreat indoors to feel safe exposes a deeper problem.
Cartoon by - Kirtish Bhatt
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