Rohtak: When a 60-year-old widow prevented Jat agitators from burning down a petrol pump

When mobs targeted a petrol pump on Rohtak’s Gohana road during the Jat quota stir last month, one 60-year-old widow stood up to them, preventing waves of rioters from setting the place on fire. Prem Devi, who was lauded for her courage, was honoured by the Delhi Commission for Women on International Women’s Day. 

She was quoted saying: “I thought if they killed me it would be only one life lost. I stood there for almost four hours, with a stick in hand. There were riotous crowds of around 4,000 men moving around on the road. When they tried to come towards the petrol pump, I threatened some, pushed others away and begged a few not to burn the pump," she said.

Devi said that no one else came out of their houses, but she refused to budge. The citation for her award read: “"One rioter had even lit up a match stick to burn the pump, but Premji did not give up. She was able to convince him by reminding him about the colony adjoining the pump and the innumerable residents that live there. This degree of courage, in the face of a rioting mob... is an inspiration and lesson to all that even one person can make a difference.”

She was quoted saying by The Indian Express: “They were torching everything in their way. I saw the staff at the petrol pump running. Fearing arson, people in my colony locked themselves in their houses. I knew if I didn’t do anything, they would burn down the pump and my colony. I thought about it and did what my heart told me to.”