This viral photo of a lawyer tells a very important story

The rape and murder of an eight-year-old Muslim girl in India has provoked tensions between the Hindu and Muslim community.

According to the police, Asifa Bano was drugged with sedatives and then forced to endure three days of rape by multiple men, before being strangled to death in the town of Kathua.

The eight men accused of raping the child are Hindu, and Asifa’s dad toldThe New York Times that he believes his daughter was killed by the Hindu men in order to force her people, a nomadic Muslim tribe, out of the town.

Muslims are demanding justice, whilst some Hindus are defending the men. Deepika Sing Rajawat is the lawyer representing the victim’s family, and a photo of her is being shared vigorously online.

Twitter user Ashwaq praised her strength amidst the furore brought about by the case.

The picture shows her leaving the Supreme Court to address the media, where she admits that since taking the case – which her colleagues tried to prevent the police from filing – she is afraid of being “raped [and killed]”. She told India Express:

Today, I don’t know, I am not in my senses. I can be raped, I can be killed and may be they won’t allow me to practice in court. They (have) isolated me, I don’t know how I can survive.

Her bravery has been noted by many.

She refuses to be cowed by threats made against her, and tweeted:

I am not scared of threats, will fights this case and make sure our child gets the Justice.

Rajawat runs an NGO called Voice For Rights, which helps under privileged people, especially women and children whose human rights has been violated.

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