In December 2012, a young woman was gang-raped and killed on a Delhi bus.

In December 2012, a young woman was gang-raped and killed on a Delhi bus. India created the Nirbhaya Fund in her memory to strengthen women's safety. In March 2026, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj launched 'Nirbhay Raho' under this fund—which includes CCTV cameras for villages and legal training for elected women representatives. But its centrepiece is 'Nirbhay Chetna': 17.5 lakh rural male panchayat representatives will be trained across three days of role-plays, group exercises, and simulations. Session one is 'Asli Mard, Asli Aurat' (Real Man, Real Woman), where participants list what society expects of each gender. Day two introduces the nine masks of masculinity: The Stoic, The Athlete, The Material, The Sexual, The Aggressive, The Joker, The Invincible, The Know-It-All, and The Alpha. A 'Man Box' session examines the unspoken rules of male behaviour and what they cost in relationships and health. On June 18, Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj inaugurated the training-of-trainers programme, announcing this as the world's largest gender sensitisation campaign for men. The Nirbhaya Fund has concluded that the fastest route to women's safety is a three-day masculinity masterclass.