Girls harassed en route to school in Sohna

Students of Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Sohna, 25-kilometres from Gurgaon, fear going to school alone because of continuous harassment by men on the way.

Students of Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Sohna, 25-kilometres from Gurgaon, fear going to school alone because of continuous harassment by men on the way. Groups of men ogle at girls and pass lewd comments while they are going to school or walking home, around a kilometre away.

Students said men ogle at them and pass lewd comments while on their way to school and back. Two police personnel have been deployed at the entrance after complaints. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

One such incident forced parents of two class 10 girls to file a complaint at the Sohna police station. As many as 15 parents reached the police station on Tuesday after their daughters were stalked while coming home in the afternoon. When the girls protested, the men abused them, parents said.

“The men follow us and pass lewd comments. They also do sexual gestures and when we try to protest, the men start abusing. Tired, we went to the police station, and informed local authorities too. Police have filed a case and have promised action. But we are scared,” a student said.

Teachers also said students are frequently stalked by men in the neighbourhood. A teacher said a few months back, some boys jumped the school’s boundary wall and entered the premises.

“We saw some boys jumping the school’s boundary wall. We called the police and they took swift action. The boys keep on passing comments on students and even touch them if they are roaming around on a motorcycle,” Neelam Narang, a teacher of the school, said.

Police said though no such cases were reported earlier, they have taken action to ensure safety of students. Police have registered an FIR against six men under sections 341 and 34 of the IPC and section 12 of the POCSO Act . Two officers have also been deputed at the school entrance.

Kuldeep Singh, station house officer of Sohna police station, said, “Two police officials with motorcycle have been deployed at the school’s entrance from 8 am to 10 am and 1.30 pm to 3 pm to ensure that the girls are not apprehensive while coming to school.”