Hooligans harass women runners at venue

GURGAON: The marathon on Sunday turned into a sour experience for some women who were harassed by hooligans. Taking advantage of lack of police presence, these men passed lewd comments and made indecent gestures at women.
Women runners said though volunteers and cops on duty tried their best to keep ruffians at bay, they were followed by these men who kept on distracting them and passing lustful and abusive comments.Even within Devi Lal Stadium, several cases of harassment were reported on the stretch between the parking lot and the venue.
"I had forgotten something in my car and had gone back to the parking lot when a group of men surrounded me," said Mani Sinha, a participant. Even though a volunteer came to her rescue, but even he had to face abusive remarks. "Proper security is a necessity at such events. It's ironic that city streets are so unsafe that even for an event like this, we need police protection," she added.
While Sinha was one of the few brave ones who agreed to come on record, several other women runners complained of such harassment.
Anupriya Kapur, an avid runner and blogger said, "I don't think the city is ready for such events. Many men made remarks about the way women were dressed. I have participated in marathons across India - Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi, but never faced such comments from the crowd."
Another runner, Rashmi Thakur, witnessed something similar. "When I started running, some random men who were not even participants, started running with me. Since it was dark and foggy, it was a scary experience. As a result, women had no other option but to run at close distance."
Despite several attempts, the organisers could not be reached for a comment.