Pune, Feb. 27: Thousands of schoolgirls and teachers in Pune District are being trained in the martial arts to defend themselves against hoodlums and eve-teasers.

About 20,000 students will be trained in the Pune region over the next four months.

The training is being imparted by “Mission Prahar”, which is headed Commando Deepak Dubey, Grandmaster of Kung Fu.

“Thousands of students and many teachers of Pune District and its nearby areas will be trained during the next four months. Students are given seven hours of self-defense training,” said Dubey.

"I have to prepare them mentally. If you are mentally prepared, you don’t need to worry about the other person’s physical strength. You have two hands and the person attacking you also has the same," Deepak added.

Deepak claims that he has trained over 19 lakh girls under Mission Prahar.

Women participating in the special camp said such camps were the need of the hour to prevent crimes against women.

"This kind of training is good. When we travel in bus, we have to encounter all sorts of men, some of whom are good, while others are bad. This training is very useful," said Aarti Patil, a teacher.

The Pune District administration decided to provide self defense training after witnessing a rise in incidents of eve-teasing, chain snatching, rape, abduction and murder.

"We want children to develop self-confidence so that none can harm them. These girls should always live with this confidence, and whenever they are attacked, they should be able to save themselves," said Shyam Vardhane, the Chairman of the Board of District Panchayats in Pune.

Over 2,000 female students and 800 teachers have been so far. (ANI)