E-Paper
Stranded on last train, woman commuter’s video flags safety concerns
29-year-old singer was concerned for her safety when the train was stranded in the middle of nowhere between Ghansoli and Kopakhairane station for 20 minutes with no police personnel present in the ladies compartment
NAVI MUMBAI: A 30-second video tweeted by a distressed woman commuter questioning the absence of Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel in a late night local train stranded for almost 20 minutes in pitch darkness has once again reinstated the need for more deployments by Railways.
Semi classical singer and resident of Koparkhairane Jyoti Bhande personally experienced the oft-spoken fears of travelling late night in city trains without police protection. The 29-year-old had boarded the 12.05 am Thane-Panvel local on Tuesday night after a singing event. Her journey which should have ended in 20 minutes at Koparkhairane prolonged to almost 45 minutes, leading to anxious moments and a frightening exerience.
Used to travelling alone late in the night , the commuter was concerned for her safety when the train was stranded in the middle of nowhere with no police personnel present. “I boarded the last local and was supposed to reach Koparkhairane by 12.25 am . But between Ghansoli and Koparkhairane, the train stopped and remained stationed for nearly 20 minutes. There was the fear of someone getting into the compartment as the area was dark and there were dense bushes. Through the ordeal, I was wondering why there were no police personnel present. ” recounted Bhande.
Bhaktikumar Dave, the president of Panvel Pravasi Sangh, said, “The lack of coordination between railways and the police force is the reason for the slack attitude towards safety in every ladies compartments. We have been repeatedly raising the issue, but the response is lukewarm. Though the police personel now have an 8-hour shift duties, the reason for not having adequate deployment is a matter of concern.”
The fact that women don’t feel secure to travel in compartments without armed police personnel became evident with the behavior shown by a fellow passenger in the train that Jyoti was travelling. “Gripped with fear, the other lady who boarded with me from Panvel was almost in tears. She was initially seated at a distance but realizing that the train had stopped moving she came and sat beside me. But as the time went by, she started getting panic attacks and even began banging her steel tiffin box against the window of the train to draw attention of male commuters walking on the railway track,” said Bhande.
To address the situation, Jyoti started searching for railway helpline numbers. Overcome by fear the commuter failed to find any number within the compartment. Few numbers made available on M-Indicator Application were stated to be not working. “Eventually I searched for railway numbers on the internet and managed to contact Vashi railway police. But they were not of much help as they had no clarity about the reason for the train stalling for such a long time. When I enquired about GRP, I was told that late night security is provided only in the middle ladies compartment and in First Class,” she said.
Bhande finally alighted at Koparkhairane at 12.50 am. Worried about the safety of the other women commuters, Bhande hopes her video on twitter will bring some change. “ The other women had to commute till Nerul and continued to remain disturbed. I posted the video on twitter so that authorities can visualize the situation and take appropriate action,” she said.
When contacted the Chief Public Relation officer (CPRO) Shivraj Manaspure said the matter will be raised with the concerned police authorities for the absence of the police personnel.
