Feature: Schoolgirls on hunger strike in India to protest sexual harassment

More than 80 schoolgirls are on indefinite hunger strike with 13 of them on "fast until death" in the northern Indian state of Haryana.

The girls have skipped school and are protesting against alleged sexual harassment that they have faced at the hands of rowdy, young men on the way to school.

The schoolgirls of Gothera Tappa Dahena village in the Rewari district, 101 km southwest of New Delhi, have been on strike since last Wednesday demanding their village high school be upgraded.

"We are asking the government to upgrade our high school to the level of senior secondary school, as it is becoming impossible for us to walk to the school in another village due to the daily harassment from the local boys on the way," said a female student, requesting anonymity.

"If our demands aren't met then we will have to drop out from school and stop our studies."

The girls from the village have to walk a distance of around three km through fields to reach the senior secondary school at Kanwali.

"These young men pull our scarves and make lewd comments," the student said. "Sometimes they come riding their bikes wearing helmets and it becomes difficult to recognize them."

The schoolgirls also alleged that the boys take their photographs using mobile phones and make sexual remarks.

According to local accounts, four girls were hospitalized after they fell unconscious during their hunger strike.

The schoolgirls, prior to going on strike, approached the village head, who reported the matter to the local authorities.

Seeing no end to their miseries, the girls took it upon themselves and began their strike. Some parents have also joined the protest to support the demand of their children.

"The demands of these girls are genuine," village head Suresh Chauhan told Xinhua. "While walking to school, they face the indignation of harassment and molestation."

Local authorities however say upgrading the school needs the fulfillment of certain requirements.

"To upgrade a high school to a secondary school level, a set of standard requirements has to be fulfilled," Dharamvir Balodia, a district education officer, told local media. "The high school at Gothera Tappa Dahenain has less than 100 students, which is not enough to make it a secondary school."

However, parents of the schoolgirls question the government's policy over granting registration to private schools.

"Private schools have just 20 to 30 students enrolled in Class 11 and 12, so why do they fulfill the criteria and our school doesn't?" Shewta Devi, a mother of a schoolgirl, asked.

Devi is also joining the protest in support of her daughter.

Police meanwhile have refuted the allegations of sexual harassment faced by the schoolgirls.

"So far we haven't received even a single complaint from any of the schoolgirls from the village regarding sexual harassment," a senior police official said. "Now that the issue has been taken up, we will step up security measures aimed at providing safety to the girls."

Haryana has a skewed gender ratio, and crimes against women in this state often make the headlines.

The fear of harassment in Haryana villages discourages many parents from sending their girls to school.

Last year, a school girl was allegedly raped on her way to school in the district. And while some officials are making promises to the villagers regarding upgrading, some students are demanding the promises be written.

Last week, a 23-year-old woman was abducted, raped and subsequently killed by her ex-boyfriend in the state's Rohtak district.

Scrutiny of violence against women in India has grown after the 2012 fatal gang-rape of a medical student in New Delhi.

Although it briefly garnered the attention of the media spotlight on crimes against women in India, brutal sexual attacks against women continue to be reported across India. Endit