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Portuguese woman says man followed her to train toilet during Jodhpur journey: 'He tried to open the door'
The woman said she and her friend were travelling in a 3AC coach when the behaviour of a group of men sitting nearby began to make them uncomfortable.
A Portuguese woman has shared a video recounting an unsettling experience during a train journey through Jodhpur, alleging that a group of men repeatedly stared at her and her friend and later followed her toward the train’s washroom.
In the video shared on Instagram, the woman, Ines Faria, said she and her friend were travelling in a 3AC coach when the behaviour of a group of men sitting nearby began to make them uncomfortable. She said that the men kept looking at them constantly and even changed seats to keep watching them during the journey.
“Sometimes travel isn’t always comfortable,” she wrote in the caption of the post while sharing the clip, which shows moments where the men appear to be looking in their direction.
Faria explained that the journey started normally but soon turned uneasy due to the constant staring. “We were on a 3AC train in India, which is usually very safe and the class we normally take. But during this ride, a group of boys sitting across from us kept staring, changing seats and watching us constantly. It started to feel really uncomfortable,” she said.
She added that when she needed to use the washroom, she deliberately chose one located in another compartment to avoid walking past the group. However, she alleged that one of the men followed her shortly after. “About 30 seconds after I entered the bathroom, one of the boys followed me and tried to open the door,” she claimed in the video.
Faria said that her friend noticed what had happened and came to wait outside the washroom. The two later reported the matter to the train’s ticket examiner (TTE), who intervened and shifted them to another coach. “After that, we reported it to the ticket officer, who handled the situation and moved us to another compartment (2AC) where we felt much safer,” she said, thanking the train staff for their assistance.
Despite the incident, the woman said that most of her travel experiences in India have been positive. “Most of my experiences travelling in India have been amazing, but moments like this are a reminder to always trust your instincts and look out for each other while travelling,” she wrote.
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Social media reactions
The video quickly circulated online, drawing strong reactions from viewers.
One user wrote, “So sorry you had to go through this. No woman deserves this for simply existing in a public place. And yes, you said it right. They haven’t seen women before. They see objects when they see women because that’s the way they’re conditioned in some parts of India. And sadly, I don’t know how many generations it’s going to take to correct this. Kudos to you for calling this out. Helps other travellers be more aware and it’s a necessity to see these unfolding in real before they blame another woman for it.”
“I’m really sorry you experienced this. Unfortunately, it’s not only foreign travelers—many Indian women also feel unsafe sometimes, especially in trains,” commented another.
“I live in India and as an Indian woman, I don’t feel safe,” remarked a third user.
