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he n e v er yb od y the last time if she would marry him. her and harassed her there also. My
thought that Haryana Thinking it was his usual threat, my father fell grievously ill and that
women are rewrit- daughter refused and he shot her, and brought Sarita back to Gurugram and
ing the script of state’s fled. The victim was rushed to a private her life became hell. She somehow
W infamy by winning hospital, where the doctors declared knew that this ordeal would have a
international sporting medals, scaling her as brought dead. On the complaint tragic end and thus came back to bear
Mt. Everest and bagging the coveted of the mother, an FIR has been regis- it rather than putting the family in dan-
Miss World title, a young national-level tered against Sombir under Section 302 ger”. She added that Sarita’s father had
taekwondo player, Sarita was shot dead (murder), 449 (trespass to commit mur- died after illness two months ago and
by her stalker, a wrestler, in the wee der) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of Sombir had allegedly been harassing
hours this week. This shows patriarchal the IPC and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the the family ever since.
mindsets have not changed in Haryana Arms Act at the Bilaspur police station. She said that Sombir Gulia would
despite achievements by State women A day after national-level taek- come home and create ruckus and say
in many fields. wondo player Sarita was shot dead by he would clipp off the wings of my sis-
In this case, the accused, Sombir, her stalker Sombir, her elder sister told ter. He sought money from my father
barged into the National Player, Sarita’s media persons that “Sarita was under but we could not pay him. My mother
house at Bhoda Khurd village in the dis- constant threat from him and even and sister confined themselves to the
trict and shot her after she refused to took up jobs in other cities like Jaipur house’s first floor and kept the ground
accept his “last and final” proposal. The and Shimla to escape him. But he traced floor locked. But he broke open the

Killing raises concern for

safety of sportsperson

Murder of a national-level woman player by a stalker rocks Haryana,
reports tehelka bureau

victim’s family has accused the police of latches,” added Sarita’s sister.
inaction despite repeated complaints of Sarita’s coach was Indeed, odds those women in
stalking by one Sombir (26), a resident reportedly pestering Haryana face are all too well known.
of Bamdola village of Jhajjar district Women achievers came to hog spot-
in Haryana. He had been stalking the her to marry him in light in Haryana when story and strug-
victim for over a year and had been spite of her refusal gles of wrestler sisters Geeta and Ba-
pressurizing her to marry him. She bita Phogat — who bagged medals for
had complained to the police in August to the proposal. The the country at the international level
and an FIR was also registered, but the family alleges that — was well depicted in Aamir Khan’s
accused was not arrested. She con- superhit movie “Dangal”. Another
stantly followed up the matter with Sarita was killed over woman wrestler from the state, Sakshi
the police, highlighting the danger and Malik, brought glory to the country by
harassment she faced, but her pleas the turndown. The winning a gold medal at the 2016 Rio
were not taken seriously. coach, who was known Olympics. Mountaineer Santosh Yadav
Sarita’s mother Savitri said that on
November 12, the accused carrying to her since 2013, is became the first Indian woman to scale
the world’s highest peak, Mt. Everest,
a gun entered our house and asked missing since the twice. She was also the first woman to
Sarita to marry him at gunpoint. He scale the peak from the tougher Kangs-
threatened that he was asking for time of the incident hung Face. The Indian women’s hockey

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