Fifteen-year-old girl, Kusum of Jalandhar is winning heart all over the country for taking on two armed persons after they tried to snatch her mobile phone.
Her fearless and courageous attitude also led to the arrest of the main accused snatcher, Avinash Kumar (22), alias Ashu.
District Collector, Mr. Ghanshyam Thori after observing her exemplary courage and bravery, awarded her with a cash prize of Rs 51,000. He said the award money will be used from the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Fund and also appreciated her as she became a statement for young girls in her state.
Mr. Ghanshyam also said that the administration will unveil a mascot in the name of Kusum under the ‘BetiBachaoBetiPadhao’ scheme in Jalandhar. Also, another programme will be launched by the name of ‘Daadi Ki Ladli’ in which girls like Kusum can take part and share their stories. A cast prize of Rs 10,000, Rs 5,000, and Rs 2,000 will be given to the top three candidates.
Kusum was admitted to a private hospital that was providing free treatment. While she was courageously trying to save her mobile phone, she injured her left wrist as the main accused snatchers hit her with a sharp-edged weapon (Datar) multiple times. Hence, Ashu was charged under Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 379 B of the IPC.
However, the other accused, Vinod Kumar who is a resident of railway quarters is still on the run.
Many officers including Angad Dutta, Youth Congress president Jalandhar, visited her at the hospital taking stock of the injuries she received in the incident. He appreciated her courageous fight against the armed snatchers and said that he will speak with CM Punjab Capt. Amarinder Singh and PYC president Barinder Singh Dhillon for getting her a further scholarship.
As the complete incident was recorded in the nearby CCTV camera, the video surfaced all over social media. Many civil servants have complimented Kusum for her bravery act and said that she can is a role model for the youth especially young girls. Here are their tweets: