1 Dec 2014

Indian sisters fight ‘sexual harassment’

Footage of two sisters fighting off men they accuse of sexual harassment goes viral – but does it show how a “blind eye” is still being turned to violence against women in India?

The incident took place on Saturday in India’s Haryana state as the sisters, aged 19 and 22, were travelling on a bus.

It was reported that the three men had made lewd comments and obscene gestures towards the women. The three men, named by police as Deepak, Mohit and Kuldeep, were then alleged to have “misbehaved” with a pregnant woman.

The two sisters, Arti and Puja Kumar, then fought with the trio, including attacking one of them with a belt.

The Hindu newspaper was critical of passengers on the bus, saying nobody came to help the females. The pregnant victim of the alleged attack recorded the incident on her phone and it has been watched more than 10,000 times in a day.

Talking about the attack, Puja said: “A woman’s rape starts the moment she withstands the dirty looks of such men.

“If you hit back hard , then only can you survive, otherwise if you yield to their advances then rape is imminent.”

The Indian government said the girls would each recieve a cash reward for their bravery. The three men have been arrested and remanded in custody until 6 December.

The driver and conductor of the bus have been suspended for dereliction of duty.