He was bashing his wife. Six women came with large sticks.
They were led by Sampat Pal Devi.
She’s an anti-violence activist in North India.
Raised in poverty, she taught herself to read and write.
At 12, she was sold into marriage and legalised rape. By 15, she’d given birth to five babies.
She lives in a male-dominated society where women are traded for dowries and domestic and sexual violence are rife.
The tide turned for Sampat when she came across a man bashing his wife. She tried to save the woman. He attacked Sampat.
She returned with five women wearing pink and carrying bamboo sticks. They beat him. News of Sampat’s actions spread and soon her army grew.
They became the Gulabi Gang, aiming to end forced marriage, dowries and male violence.
Poor women are deemed ‘untouchable’ in the Indian caste system. Known as Dalits, they experience oppression, violence and discrimination. The gang works to erase this.

Once they rocked up to a police station with dogs painted pink to humiliate the cops, showing even dogs were on the gang’s side.
They try to talk violent men out of hurting women.
If the men continue their abuse, the gang – and the victims – beat them up.
“We fight them with sticks,” Sampat says.
“We thrash him black and blue so he dare not attempt to do wrong to any girl or a woman again.”
Sampat believes if women do not stand firm against abusive men they cannot make change.
The members wear the pink sari to invoke respect. It is not compulsory.
The gang has awards for trying to end dowries, child labor, corruption and drug abuse.
Sampat was demoted from leader 11 years ago but remains committed to keeping women and girls safe.

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