Sonam is Empowering Hindu Girls Across Rampur

At 14, She Filed an FIR Against Injustice. Today, Sonam is Empowering Hindu Girls Across Rampur

Rampur, Uttar Pradesh — In a small village in Rampur district, where Hindu families live as a minority surrounded by a dominant Muslim population, speaking up often feels like inviting trouble. For young girls especially, silence becomes a survival strategy. But Sonam was never one to stay silent.

Today, at an age when most girls her age are still finding their voice, Sonam is a full-time volunteer, coordinator, and Durga Program Ambassador for Hindu Rights Watch in Rampur district. But her journey to this role is a story of extraordinary courage that began when she was just 14 years old.

A Workshop That Changed Everything

Sonam first encountered Hindu Rights Watch CEO Sumit Kumar during one of his youth training workshops in her village. In an area where Hindu girls faced daily challenges — from subtle intimidation to outright harassment — Sumit’s workshops offered something rare: tools to fight back within the system.

“I attended the workshop out of curiosity,” Sonam recalls. “But what Sumit sir taught us wasn’t just theory. It was practical — how to use RTI, how to file complaints, how to stand up for our rights without fear.”

Unlike many attendees who came and went, Sonam stayed connected. She began participating in ground activities, observing how Hindu Rights Watch operated, learning the mechanics of community organizing and legal advocacy.

When Silence Was No Longer an Option

The turning point came when Sonam’s family faced direct threat. Her father, a simple farmer trying to go about his life, was threatened by the Muslim Gram Pradhan over a local dispute. In most cases, such incidents go unreported — families swallow their fear and move on.

But Sonam had learned something different in those workshops.

At just 14, she filed an RTI (Right to Information) application against the Panchayat, demanding transparency and accountability. It was an audacious move for someone so young, especially a girl in a conservative rural setting.

“My hands were shaking when I submitted that RTI,” Sonam admits. “But Sumit sir had taught us that law is our weapon. I decided to use it.”

Taking On Harassment, Demanding Action

Emboldened by the response to her RTI and with guidance from Sumit Kumar, Sonam took another courageous step. She filed a formal complaint against a group of Muslim boys who had been using vulgar language and making inappropriate comments toward Hindu girls in the village — a problem everyone knew about but no one dared address.

The complaint reached the police, and for the first time in that village’s recent memory, action was taken. The boys were warned, their families called in, and a message was sent: Hindu girls would not be easy targets.

Throughout this ordeal, Sonam received unwavering support from the Hindu Rights Watch team. “They stood by me when even some people in my own community said I was inviting trouble,” she says. “That support gave me the confidence to not back down.”

From Victim to Voice

Today, Sonam is no longer just a beneficiary of Hindu Rights Watch’s programs — she is a driving force behind them. As a Durga Program Ambassador and Fellow, she works full-time across Rampur district, training other young girls to recognize their rights and use legal tools to protect themselves.

“The Durga Program is about creating strong, aware Hindu girls who won’t be pushed around,” Sonam explains. “I tell them my story not to scare them, but to show them that even a 14-year-old can fight back and win.”

Her work as district coordinator involves organizing workshops, connecting with families in vulnerable Hindu-minority pockets, and creating networks of aware, empowered youth who can support each other.

A Model of Fearless Advocacy

Sonam’s transformation from a scared village girl to a confident community leader has not gone unnoticed. She has become a symbol in Rampur — proof that age and gender need not be barriers to standing up for justice.

“Sometimes village elders tell me, ‘Beta, you’re too young for all this,'” Sonam smiles. “I tell them, ‘Injustice doesn’t check age before it strikes. Why should justice?'”

In Rampur’s challenging landscape, where demographic realities often translate into daily pressures for Hindu families, Sonam represents a new generation — one that refuses to accept intimidation as normal, and that believes in the power of law, community, and courage.

From filing her first RTI with trembling hands to now training dozens of girls to do the same, Sonam’s journey is a testament to what happens when potential meets guidance, and when fear is replaced with knowledge.