Video Of Indian Women Thrashing Molesters In Moving Bus Goes Viral; Sisters To Be Rewarded

A video of two sisters thrashing three men who allegedly sexually harassed them in a moving bus in the northern Indian state of Haryana, went viral, prompting the arrest of the men on Sunday night, local media reports said. The state government reportedly also announced that the two women would be rewarded for their actions.

The two women, aged 22 and 19, were reportedly returning from their college in Rohtak, about 43 miles northwest of New Delhi, when the three men threatened and abused them, BBC reported. The women reportedly said that they decided to attack the men after none of the passengers in the bus came forward to help them. The men have been sent to judicial custody until Dec. 6, local media reports said, adding that the state government has ordered police and the transport department to ensure the safety of women in public places.

"One of them touched my sister inappropriately... After a heated exchange, one of the boys called his friends asking him to beat us up. One of them beat my sister while two others caught hold of me,” one of the women reportedly said, according to BBC. "No one came forward in the bus to help us. So we took out our belts in self-defense [and hit the men]. If only the other passengers had helped us, we would not have needed to retaliate in this way."

The men reportedly threw the two women out of the moving bus but the passengers did not protest. The men also reportedly took away their mobile phones. The women, who received minor injuries, later filed a complaint with local police. A video filmed by a passenger on the bus shows the women taking on the three men.

Concerns over the safety of women in India came into the spotlight after the December 2012 gang rape and murder of a student in a moving bus in New Delhi. The incident, which caused global outrage, forced the Indian government to prosecute the offenders in a special fast-track court, and implement laws designed to enhance women's safety.

Here is a video of the two women fighting the alleged offenders.