RPF proposes three-year penalty for eve-teasing

With rise of crime against women in trains and at railway platforms across the country, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has proposed an amendment to the Railway Act so that they can apprehend eve-teasers and molesters on the spot. If amended, eve-teasing and harassing a woman on board a train could soon lead to a jail term of three years for the offender, said IPS officer Dharmendra Kumar, who heads the force.

The RPF has also proposed a hike in the fine for men travelling in compartments reserved for women from the present Rs 500 to Rs 1,000.

If this proposal is approved, then the penalty for outraging the modesty of a woman under the Railway Act would be greater than that prescribed under the Indian Penal Code, which is a maximum of one year imprisonment.

"Each time a case happens where a woman has been assaulted or we find men travelling in women's compartments, we have to seek the aid of the GRP because the Railway Act didn't have a provision to deal with such crimes,"said a senior police officer. This has led the RPF to propose amendment in Railway Act.