Female travellers continue to face train harassment

Mumbai: Railway Police has stepped up security in the ladies compartments of suburban trains but women say criminals are continuing to harass and attack them.

There has been a further two attacks this week on women commuters travelling at night and these incidents have once again triggered a fear complex among female travellers.

In the first incident a 27-year-old woman was robbed of her mobile on a suburban train at Curry Road Station while on her way home.

Snatched

At around 8pm local time, a man got into the first class ladies compartment on a train bound for Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, gave her a hard push and snatched the phone from her hand, said Batul Bhanpurwala.

The thief immediately jumped on to the tracks and disappeared even as the woman stood alone and scared with no constable in sight to come to her aid.

And on Sunday, sales executive Ayesha Noor Mohammad Sarkar, travelling on a Churchgate-bound train at around 9.30pm local time, was attacked by a man who entered the ladies compartment, grabbed her purse and fled at Marine Lines station.

According to Deepak Gandhi, President of the Suburban Passengers Association, crime against women commuters has gone up.

Suresh Khopade, Commissioner of Railway Police, said: "An armed constable is manning the middle ladies coach from this Tuesday. The constable will be on duty from 9pm to 6am to ensure the safety of women commuters.

"Women in ladies coaches at the extreme end should shift to any of the middle coaches during this time.

"A crackdown on beggars and vendors by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has resulted in the arrest of 300 people. Action will be initiated against them as per the new RPF Act, as this falls under the purview of the RPF."

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has urged Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav to increase security and safety on Mumbai's suburban rail services, best described as the lifeline of the city.