Case filed against two Cong MLAs for sexually harassing woman on train: Police

According to Sagar general railway police (GRP) in-charge P K Ahirwar, the woman’s husband reached out to police for help on Twitter, following which railway police at Sagar boarded the train and helped her.

Published on: Oct 7, 2022, 23:39:12 IST

By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

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Two Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh have been booked for allegedly sexually harassing a woman on Rewanchal Express on Thursday, railway police said on Friday.

The woman’s husband said they were not aware that the two accused are Congress MLAs. (Getty Images)

The legislators, Sidharth Kushwaha from Satna and Suneel Saraf from Kotma, were allegedly in an inebriated state when they reportedly harassed the woman, who was travelling from Rewa to Bhopal with her husband and seven-month-old son in H-1 coach.

According to Sagar general railway police (GRP) in-charge P K Ahirwar, the woman’s husband reached out to police for help on Twitter, following which railway police at Sagar boarded the train and helped her.

“In her complaint, the woman said that at around 11.50pm, two men, Siddharth Kushwaha and Sunil Saraf, were having dinner in front of her seat. They were continuously using obscene language. She said one of them touched her shoulder and asked for food,” Ahirwar said.

“The woman said she did not respond since they were drunk. She said they again touched her. She requested them to not touch her and use abusive language but they did not stop,” Ahirwar added.

Railway police soon received information from Jabalpur Control Room after her husband tweeted about the purported harassment, the officer said.

“An assistant sub-inspector and constable boarded the train at Sagar and changed the seat of the woman. They registered her statement and lodged an FIR against the two accused, who were later identified as Congress MLAs, under section 354 (sexual harassment) of Indian Penal Code,” Ahirwar said.

The woman’s husband said they were not aware that the two accused are Congress MLAs. “We did not know that the accused are Congress MLAs but thankfully police took immediate action and helped my wife,” he said.

Kushwaha, however, dismissed the “baseless” allegation. “The woman was travelling with a baby, so I offered her my seat very politely. Suneel ji asked for food as a courtesy. I don’t know why she felt offended and filed a complaint. The allegations are baseless,” he said.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state sought a response from state Congress chief Kamal Nath on the matter.

“Kamal Nath ji should answer. Harassing a woman in an intoxicated state, does this MLA belong to your party,” BJP spokesperson Lokendra Parashar said.

Congress spokesperson JP Dhanopia refused to comment on the matter. “I don’t know what exactly happened, so I can’t comment on that,” he said.

(with inputs from Anupam Pateriya from Sagar)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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