The Railway police have taken a person into custody for allegedly harassing a woman in Sealdah-bound Rajdhani Express. The sufferer, who has requested complete anonymity, told The Hindu that the incident took place as the train was about to reach Kanpur station in Uttar Pradesh. She said she was “shocked and scared” and later filed a formal complaint when the train reached Sealdah.
The sufferer boarded an AC II coach from Delhi. The accused, Jaswinder Singh, in his early thirties, was also in the same coach, in a berth diagonally opposite to the sufferers’. Around 9 PM, as the train was about to reach the Kanpur Station, Mr Singh allegedly made “obscene gestures” and “abused” the woman. He continued with his “outrageous behaviour” when the woman raised the alarm.
“When he became very aggressive the other passengers objected. Meanwhile I reported the incident to the TTE (Travelling Ticket Examiner),” said the sufferer. “I was very scared but had to spend the night in the same coach. The TTE did change my seat but he did not arrange for police or any other security for me,” said the woman, who was quite unsettled following the incident.
Later on Sunday morning, as the train was about to reach the Sealdah station, the sufferer’s family reported the incident to the Chief Public Relations Officer of Eastern Railways (ER), Ravi Mahapatra. On arrival Mr Singh was detained within the train by the forces and eventually taken into custody. The sufferer told The Hindu that she “satisfied” with the way both the ER and the forces handled her “complaints and the situation.”
Mr Mahapatra said that he received a call around 9 in the morning and alerted the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM). “Being informed I had a word with the DRM, Sealdah, who coordinated everything,” he said. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) was alerted. “By the time the train arrived in the station, the forces were positioned and the accused was taken into custody,” Mr Ravi said. The accused, who was reportedly coming to Kolkata to appear in a job related examination, will be produced in Sealdah Civil & Criminal Court on Monday.