This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.

With A Mad Chase, Olympian Krishna Poonia Heroically Saves Two Teenage Girls From Harassment

Exemplary.
Adnan1 Abidi / Reuters

On the first day of 2017, while waiting in her car at a railway crossing in Rajasthan's Churu district, Padma Shri awardee Krishna Poonia noticed something. One glance and she realised that not everything was right with the scene. Three louts on motorcycles were harassing two frightened teenage girls.

The 39-year-old who has represented India in the Beijing and London Olympics stepped out of her car and confronted the men. The mere sight of a towering Poonia was enough to scare them away and they fled the scene on their motorcycles.

However, Poonia was not one to give up so easily. In what could be a scene from a Bollywood movie, Poonia chased the three men for 50 metres until she caught hold of one of them. "When I saw those two girls being harassed, I thought that they could well have been my daughters. That made me go after the men," she told the Hindustan Times.

The incident attracted the attention of many people and Poonia called up the police to hand over the man she had caught. The police however took a long time to arrive. A disappointed Poonia told the Hindustan Times said that she had to call up the police twice and, even though the police station was only a couple of minutes away, they took their time to reach the spot. "How will the police ensure the safety of women if they take so long to act," she said.

Poonia then accompanied the two girls to the police station and helped them lodge a case.

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.