Gul Panag Molested in Delhi Marathon

Posted by admin on Nov 27th, 2010 | 0 comments

Actor Gul Panag was ‘felt’ by unidentified runners on Sunday when she was preparing for a half marathon in Delhi. Gul, who is a regular runner at marathon events, was livid when several men took advantage of her at the beginning of the race and then disappeared in the crowd.

Gul, however, did not file a complaint stating that it was not possible to find who were the guys who did it. Also she feels that it is typical in a place like Delhi where women’s modesty is molested every day. Gul told the media, “I won’t advocate running around the city to women in Delhi. When you are at a busy junction here, you won’t know who has touched your butt or pressed your breasts. It has to be the ugliest experience for a woman, but here you have no choice but get used to it.” She added, “It’s the women-in-crowded-place syndrome and typical of Delhi-grope. And it’s not even surprising. I am a marathon runner and I’ve run a dozen-odd half marathons. There are always crowds, but this was my first marathon in Delhi. This doesn’t happen in Mumbai. But like I said, it’s expected in Delhi – it’s part of the culture.”

Gul may have been flustered by the incident, but that did not stop her from completing the run enthusiastically. She beamed, “I clocked 2.20 hours.” She had many people coming to her twitter and expressing concern and here is what the girl wrote “not just teased- in the beginning rush- felt- brushed by many hands. Hit back 2-3 though.” Others who attended the marathon event included Bipasha Basu, Arshad Warsi, Rahul Bose, Urmila Matondkar and Dhanraj Pillai, but most of them confined themselves to cheering from the grandstand. Anil Ambani and Gul Panag were the ones who actually participated in the race.

When asked if the organizers should arrange a separate lane in the future for women runners at the Delhi marathon, Gul said, “I run 21 kilometers. It’s simply not possible. One expects basic decorum from those who participate in such events.” The gutsy gal is not going to stop running in Delhi Marathon in the future. She says, “Of course, I will run again. I am a fighter.” Prior to Gul, there have been instances of the likes of Bipasha Basu, Shriya Saran etc being taken advantage of, in the crowd.