New Delhi: About 50 Muslim girls from a city school were given self-defense training in a bid to instill confidence and strength among them, Delhi Police said on Friday.

The girls, from classes 8 to 12 of a school in Jamia Nagar area of south Delhi, were trained over a period of two weeks from May 25 to June 7, a police officer said.

"The results were stupendous and it was amazing to see small girls breaking stone slabs with punches and kicks. Our aim of instilling confidence and strength amongst the girls was achieved successfully," the officer said.

NGO Shikhar, which works for social development of children and women belonging to the lower strata of society, coordinated the programme, the officer added.

"The most important aspect of this programme was that all the girls were from the Muslim community. As the parents were a bit reluctant, it took a lot of convincing from us as well as the school to get their approval," the police officer said.

According to the police, the programme was organized to bridge the gap and to inculcate a sense of faith and friendship between the police and the public. IANS