In peak travel season, Sanjana S (name changed) set out to backpack through Mussoorie, expecting quiet trails and like-minded travellers. She checked into a hostel near Kempty Falls, hoping for the basics: clean sheets and a sense of safety. But by the second night, groups of drunk men kept the campus loud until dawn, and catcalls rang out.

Uncomfortable, she raised concerns with the property manager. “They haven’t done anything to you yet, right? They can drink around the property,” was the response she received. “Was she waiting for something to happen before making me feel safe?” Sanjana asks. 

That night, Sanjana latched the dorm door. The following evening, while hanging out with a couple she had befriended, they were catcalled. “They were leaving the next day, so I cut my stay short too. This place just didn’t feel safe alone,” she says.