As India grapples with the ugliness of a series of high-profile rape cases – including one involving an eight-year-old girl – a female journalist in Hyderabad, India has received threats and possible jail time for her cartoon response to the brutal case.

Accused of insulting the Hindu deity Lord Rama, a police complaint was filed against Swathi Vadlamudi on Tuesday based on a satirical cartoon posted to her Facebook page.

The cartoon – which made the rounds on social media throughout the week – depicts two Hindu deities: Sita and Lord Rama. In it, Sita is depicted telling her husband: “I am glad I was kidnapped by Ravan and not by your bhakths,” a term used colloquially to describe devotees of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Satirical in tone, the cartoon is only one part of the greater outrage currently gripping India over the issue of rape. Protests, hunger strikes and online campaigns have all been tools wielded to express anger at the lack of accountability for sexual violence against women and children.

Two separate cases have triggered public outcry. In Uttar Pradesh province, Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a member of the legislative assembly, was arrested for the rape of a 16-year-old girl. The girl’s family protested after almost a year of inaction by authorities. The protest led to more violence, as the family claims that the girl’s father was assaulted by Sengar’s supporters and ultimately died in police custody.

In January, a young Muslim girl’s body was found dumped in a forest in Indian-administered Kashmir. The eight-year-old had been kidnapped, repeatedly raped by multiple people, and finally murdered. The case captured little attention outside of local media.

It wasn’t until last week when two ministers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were seen at a rally for the accused, instantly politicizing an issue that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said should not be a matter of politics.

Organized by a nationalist group called Hindu Ekta Manch, or Hindu Unity Forum, the rally defended the eight suspects and revealed a religious dimension to the case – an example of the religious divisiveness in Indian society, even when faced with a horrific case of the rape and murder of a child.

The two ministers have since been forced to resign, but people are demanding action.

In the tradition of nonviolent protest, the head of Delhi’s Commission for Women is almost a week into an indefinite hunger strike. Swati Maliwal started refusing food on April 13 and has vowed to maintain her strike until there are concrete measures taken to bring accusers to justice.

Maliwal’s strike followed an open letter addressed to the country’s prime minister, where she called him out for his silence on the issue: “I feel upset that the leader of our country doesn’t say anything – let alone do anything about it.”

Since last weekend, protesters all over India have taken to the streets, exerting pressure on Modi’s government to do more than provide hollow statements. The protests followed Modi to London, where he was greeted by signs demanding punishment for the accused, before he met with UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday.