An American student's account of her sexual harassment in India has reignited anger about the treatment of women in the country, nine months after the deadly gang rape of a woman in New Delhi.
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Micheala Cross, a South Asian studies major at the University of Chicago, documented for CNN the stunning level of aggressive sexual behaviour by men in India that she experienced during her study abroad trip last year.
Her time there was so troubling, she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder upon her return to the US, and is on a medical leave of absence from her university following a breakdown.
The account chronicled what she called a "traveller's heaven and a woman's hell", in which men unabashedly filmed American women dancing during a religious festival. Men in India also clawed at the groins and breasts of foreign women while they bargained in a public market, she said.
Ms Cross' account has prompted readers online to sympathise with her experiences travelling abroad.
While her experience in India was "beautiful" in parts, Ms Cross wrote that it was marked by frequent episodes of sexual harassment.
"When people compliment me on my Indian sandals, do I talk about the man who stalked me for 45 minutes after I purchased them, until I yelled in his face in a busy crowd?"
The red-haired, fair-skinned student said: "I was stalked, groped, masturbated at." Ms Cross said she once she suffered two rape attempts in 48 hours.
Her story has struck a nerve with readers both in the US and India, following the string of brutal rape cases which have come to light. Those incidents, exposing a culture of sexual aggression in India, have drawn the condemnation of India's politicians, the public and observers worldwide.
In the New Delhi case, a 23-year-old physiotherapist who was travelling with her boyfriend on a bus was beaten and raped by six men. She was flown to Singapore for treatment but died two weeks later of her injuries. The driver of the bus, one of those accused of involvement, was found dead in his jail cell in March.
Even before the victim's death, the case sparked angry street demonstrations in India.
Since then, more rapes have been reported.
A 10-year-old girl died after she was raped in Mumbai in June. In August, an 11-year old girl was raped in the state of Goa.
A Fairfax Media report showed that in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh there had been 3406 reported cases of rape in 2011.
Ms Cross' account, titled India: The Story You Never Wanted to Hear, was submitted as an iReport to CNN. In response, the University of Chicago assured the public of the importance of the "safety and well-being" of students going abroad.
Fairfax Media
