Annie Raja lauds Rohtak sisters’ for fighting back eve-teasers

Asserting that crime against women cannot be prevented until the law enforcing agencies and the people come together, National Federation of Indian Women general secretary Annie Raja on Sunday lauded the sisters from Rohtak for fighting back the eve-teasers.

She said that it is the duty of every citizen to help the girls who are in trouble.

“When the girls are in trouble, it is your responsibility as a citizen of this country to help those girls, but you are not doing it. This is not the first time people are behaving like this, this is the character of our society,” Raja told ANI here.

“I think first of all we must highlight the positive aspect of this incident that is the girls dared to challenge those who violate their rights. Congratulations to those girls for their courageous act,” she added.

Meanwhile, social activist and senior advocate Abha Singh commenting on the incident said the culprits must be arrested immediately.

“And the silent spectators, who did not help, must be hauled up,” she added.

Earlier on Friday, two college-going sisters fought back three eve-teasers in a public bus in Rohtak, Haryana, even as the co-passengers remained mute spectators.

The alleged eve-teasers used derogatory language and made obscene gestures before the girls retaliated.

An amateur video footage shot by one of the co passengers travelling in the bus revealed the girls being pushed by the men after they protested against the obscene language and gestures.

“We boarded the bus from Rohtak bus stand, this boy started teasing us by trying to give his phone number to us. When we protested, he called his friends and they started making obscene gestures. When I walked up to him asking not to make such gestures, he grabbed me by the neck while others held back my sister,” one of the victims told ANI today.

To rescue her sister, who was being grabbed by the neck, the other sister said she took out her belt and attacked the eve teasers. The two sisters fought the eve teasers but the co-passengers did not seem to intervene. Finally, the girls were thrown out of the bus.

“My sister then took out her belt and started hitting them. They left me and attacked my sister, then I went to save her. In the end they threw us both out of the bus,” she said.

Meanwhile, the SHO of Rohtak police station Gajendra Singh said a complaint had been registered against the accused and added that the public must take a stand in such cases.

“We have registered complaint against three accused persons, investigation is going on, the culprits will be arrested. It is regrettable that nobody came to help the girls, it is our duty to take a stand in such cases,” he added. (ANI)