‘Hurt, Helpless’: Mary Kom & Saina Nehwal Slam Rise in Rape Cases

“As an Indian I feel sad. I feel helpless,” boxer Mary Kom said about the Unnao and Kathua rape incidents

Indian boxer star MC Mary Kom, who is also a sitting Rajya Sabha MP, said on 17 April that the alarming increase in the number of rapes in the country has left her feeling "hurt and helpless".

"Whatever the government is doing, it will take a correct step. They know better than me. It hurts me, makes me very emotional being a woman (that 8 year-olds are raped). As an Indian I feel sad. I feel helpless," Mary Kom told a TV channel after returning to country from Gold Coast, where she won a historic gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.

Fellow athlete and gold medal-winning badminton player Saina Nehwal joined Kom in condemning the rising number of atrocities and crimes against women in India.

I am deeply grieved to feel the atrocities on the girls and women in India by assaulting and brutally ending the priceless lives by few mindless creatures in our beautiful country. I condemn the ghastly crimes, which should b stopped at once .

— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) April 17, 2018

The comments from the sportswomen came in the wake of the news of the Kathua and Unnao rape cases. In the Kathua case, an eight-year-old girl was raped and murdered in January in an alleged attempt to intimidate her community.

In Unnao, BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar has been arrested on allegations of raping a minor in Unnao. The father of the complainant died in police custody. The case came to light when the complainant tried to immolate herself outside Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence.

(With inputs from PTI)

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