A young girl lost her life in South Delhi [Images] two days ago, allegedly at the hands of a jilted admirer. We invite readers share their experiences and opinions on how to deal with stalkers and obssessive lovers. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Unwanted attention. Everyone is at the receiving end of it at some point in their lives.

And women are at risk from obssessive would-be admirers who become perpetrators of violent crimes when their advances are rejected.

Sometimes a stranger tries to follow you home from the railway station/metro/bus stop. Sometimes you receive anonymous emails and/or multiple social networking requests from a persistent individual even when you've made it abundantly clear that you're not interested. At other times you get breathy phone calls, which continue even after you've switched cellphone numbers or approached the police.

While some of these little dramas play themselves out and get over and done with, others don't.

And unfortunately, sometimes people pay a heavy price for it. Like Ramchanphy Hongray, the teenaged Naga girl who was strangled and later burnt to death in South Delhi on October 25, allegedly by an IIT scholar nearly twice her age.

Acid attacks, stabbing incidents, kidnapping, rape -- we've heard the horror stories before and so long as misguided, psychotic youths continue to believe their jilted love is cause enough to ruin someone else's life, we'll continue to hear of them.

So how do you deal with these potentially dangerous situations? What are the steps one can take to protect oneself and ensure safety? If someone is stalking you, how do you deal with it in a manner that can bring the whole unpleasant affair to an end once and for all without any devastating effects?

We invite our readers to share their experiences and suggestions in this regard with us. Post your comments on the messageboard below.