The Haryana government Monday said it will honour the two sisters who fought three youths who harassed them on a bus as well as a woman who shot the episode on her mobile telephone.The three molesters -- Deepak, Mohit and Kuldeep -- were arrested Sunday evening. A court in Rohtak Monday sent them to judicial custody for five days.The woman passenger, said to be pregnant, was the only one among the passengers who objected to the indecent behaviour of the youths and later captured the harassment of the young women on her mobile phone.The video helped police identify the guilty and arrest them, a government spokesman said.
No other passenger in the bus came to the rescue of the college-going Pooja and Aarti or the third woman.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced that Pooja and Aarti would be given cash awards on the occasion of Republic Day.The two displayed courage by attacking the three youths when they harassed them on a moving bus of Haryana Roadways in Rohtak Friday.
The driver and conductor of the bus have been suspended for failing to control the situation, not informing the police and not helping the girls in distress.The sisters had thrashed the youths with a belt even after being assaulted. No passenger in the bus came to the rescue of the girls as they were teased and assaulted.
The matter came to light after the video recorded on the woman's mobile phone was flashed on television. The scenes were shown repeatedly on all leading television news channels."We fought the men all alone. No one came forward to help us when they hit us and pushed us out of the bus," said Aarti.
The girls' father alleged that police officials were mounting pressure on them to strike a compromise with the accused.The victims alleged that the youths first blew kisses at them and then threw slips with their mobile phone numbers towards them. When the sisters objected, the molesters made lewd gestures. The woman passenger who objected was also harassed by the young men.The sisters said the bus stopped after some distance and the youths pushed them out and started hitting them.
While one girl fell on the road, the other fell in a field. One of the sisters then attacked the youth with a brick after which he fled from the spot.The girls called up police and the women helpline but failed to get any response. They said officials at the police station also discouraged them from filing the complaint.Police drew flak for not taking any action after the incident came to light.The Haryana government has directed the director general of police and the transport department to take effective steps to ensure the safety and security of bus passengers, especially women. Bus drivers and conductors have been told to make sure that such incidents do not occur again, an official spokesman said.