Even as the gender fight in Mumbai’s suburban trains gathers steam, statistics with the government railway police reveal that women are at risk in city’s trains with the crime graph taking an upward trend.
Even as the gender fight in Mumbai’s suburban trains gathers steam, statistics with the government railway police reveal that women are at risk in city’s trains with the crime graph taking an upward trend.
“There have been three to four attacks on women in trains this week itself. The railway police need to focus more on patrolling in trains to curb crime,’’ said Anagha D. Sawant, who travels by train every day.
Last week, a robber slashed a woman’s hand to rob her purse in the train.
The Bombay high court had also recently rapped the railway authorities for lack of security measures in train and asked why women constables were not present in ladies compartments during non-peak hours.
“The ladies’ compartments should be protected round the clock and have closed doors. When the trains are empty, anyone gets in and the passengers sitting inside are vulnerable,’’ said Shashi Rastogi, another commuter on the western line.
One of the frequent complaints of women commuters is the conversion of one of the ladies’ compartments of a train into a general one after 11pm as men jump into the compartments several minutes before the stipulated time.
A commuter argued that as more and more women work till late in the evening, all ladies’ compartments should be reserved for them 24x7.
Women commuters often complain that the ladies’ special trains are hijacked by men because there is no security.
“Many a times on the harbour line, there is no board put up to indicate that it is a ladies’ special train. And when one person gets in, others follow,’’ said Chitra Mehta-Manjrekar, another commuter.
The Central Railway has initiated an awareness campaign among male commuters requesting them to avoid getting into ladies’ compartments even if they are empty.
The Thane railway police force personnel alone have caught 200 men for travelling in ladies’ compartments between Thane and Diva stations this year.
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