It was a hot and humid August afternoon so Babita decided to take a short-cut to Sirsia Mishra, a neighbouring village in Gorakhpur division of Uttar Pradesh. She walked down a narrow pathway between two lush green paddy fields. Just as she was wondering why the fields, usually dotted with farmers, were so deserted, she was accosted by a man. Although Babita was taken aback by his sudden appearance, she wasn’t afraid. After all, as a community volunteer with the Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojna (RGMVP), a non-profit in UP working to empower women and alleviate. . .