For Asha,trapped with dacoits on the first floor of her employers house,there was little choice. She jumped from the balcony clutching a creeper and raised an alarm. The 27-year-old has been the domestic help of the Mittals for the last six years. I was washing fruits on the first-floor when someone behind held my neck. I turned and saw five men with Jeevan. They had big knives, she said. They asked for the keys. As I had no keys,I kept requesting them to leave me. Then they said they will rape and kill me if I did not cooperate. One of them noticed a curtain was not drawn properly. He asked me to draw it and remove my clothes, Asha,originally from Bihar,added. When I walked towards the curtain,I saw they were busy rummaging the drawers. I ran towards the door and onto the terrace. I clutched a creeper and jumped, she said. As they would have raped me,I jumped to try to save myself and my employers, she added. But on the road,nobody helped her. I tried hard,but everyone (neighbours) refused to open their doors. Then I saw two men on a bike. I stopped them and narrated the incident, she said. Sarita Mittal said: Ashas bravery saved our lives. They would have either killed or seriously injured us. She said they would meet Panchkula SP Amitabh Dhillon and request him to consider her for a bravery award.
