Would’ve been better off dead like Moga girl, say Sonepat sisters

ROHTAK: In a state that cowers behind the worst gender ratio in India — 879 women per 1,000 men — two Sonepat sisters were more than a breath of fresh air when they took on their molesters on a moving bus in Rohtak last year.

Aarti and Pooja at the judicial complex in Rohtak. Parvesh Chauhan

Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, May 13

In a state that cowers behind the worst gender ratio in India — 879 women per 1,000 men — two Sonepat sisters were more than a breath of fresh air when they took on their molesters on a moving bus in Rohtak last year.

But, the unending remarks by the known and the unknown, humiliation at college and on streets, reducing number of friends whose parents ask them to stay away from “such girls” and “shoddy investigation” into their case seem to have disheartened them.

“Since November 28 last year, the day the incident took place, we have not been able to step out of our house without attracting undue attention. Our college office is flooded with RTI applications seeking to know our attendance status, test scores and performance in class,” says Pooja, a student of BA final year at the Government College for Women, Rohtak.

“All this publicity and taking of pictures has gone to their head. They have been spoilt,” said a lawyer and his friend as The Tribune photographer clicked the Sonepat sisters — Aarti (22) and Pooja (19) — coming out of the district courts.

Peeved at peoples’ attitude, Pooja said: “This is not all. If we ever decide to sit in the college lawn, a few girls, especially from Asan (the village of our molesters hail from), start recording our videos to show that we are not attending classes. We ignore snide remarks and overlook lewd gestures as we don’t want to get into another fracas.” They also expressed disappointment at the way the police were probing the case.

“We feel the pressure of taking on a male-dominated society and appearing in the court as our studies suffer. Our only fault is that we are alive today. We, too, were thrown off the moving bus just like the Moga girl who died. At least, she has been saved of the humiliation that is thrust upon us by a society that believes that men can do no wrong. We would have been better off dead,” Aarti said.

The two sisters are appearing for their final examination that will end in May after which they intend to pursue their case more rigorously. “Our studies have suffered. We are under a lot of pressure,” Aarti said.