It seems like the extensive efforts and ad campaigns by the government to promote girl's education has failed to change the ground realities for them. At least in rural Haryana, that appears to be the case. In Rewari district, where the rural female education rate is a dismal 58.64 percent, some 40 girl students from two villages, Suma Khera and Katopuri have stopped going to their schools due to continued harassment. Students and parents complain that the girls who have to travel to their school in Lala village had been facing sexual harassment. But the tipping point came in April after a girl was allegedly raped, forcing the villagers to stop their children from going to school.

With uncertainty over their future, villagers are now holding temporary classes for the children in a local primary school.

They are also demanding that the primary school in the village, the only one in the area, should be upgraded to a high school so that the students can continue their studies.

While three people have been arrested by police in connection with the April rape case, and the district administration promising to provide bus service for the students, the villagers are not convinced that their children are safe yet.