In Pune’s Mahalunge, a crime so vile that it defies comprehension occurred on September 22. An 85-year-old woman, in the quiet routine of her life, was brutally raped by a 23-year-old man. The accused, Om Jayachandra Puri, an electrician, assaulted her in her own residential building. He not only raped her but also attempted to take her life. This incident is not just an isolated act of cruelty but a damning reflection of the moral degradation creeping into the very fabric of our society. An elderly woman, in the twilight of her years, should have been basking in the care and respect of her community. Instead, she was subjected to one of the most heinous forms of violence imaginable, in a place that should have been her sanctuary.

As a nation, we the people talk endlessly about our respect for elders, our traditions of family and care. But where are those values when an elderly woman is preyed upon by a man young enough to be her grandson? This crime doesn’t just violate one person; it shatters the illusion that ours is a society that protects its most vulnerable. What should terrify everyone is the growing frequency of such crimes reported from all over India.

The impunity with which these acts are committed suggests a deeper, more insidious problem: a loss of empathy, a growing disconnect from basic human decency. The fact that this incident occurred in a relatively upscale society only underscores that no one is safe, that violence can strike anywhere, at any time. Incidentally, it was from the same city that the alleged rape of a 10-year-old girl by a 67-year-old senior citizen was reported a month ago.

There will, of course, be investigations, charges under the brand-new Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita, and perhaps justice will eventually be served. However, legal consequences alone are not enough. What is needed is a societal wake-up. We cannot shrug our shoulders at such atrocities and describe them as isolated acts of depravity. These are symptoms of a far greater sickness—a collapse of the values we claim to hold dear. It’s time to demand more from ourselves and from one another. We cannot hide behind hollow platitudes while our most vulnerable elderly and children are brutalised. This isn’t just a legal issue; it’s a moral crisis. If we cannot protect an 85-year-old woman in her own home, we must ask: What kind of nation are we becoming?