Woman Passenger Sexually Harassed On Moving Mumbai Local Train, Second Incident This Month
In a shocking incident, a woman passenger was sexually harassed on a moving local train in Mumbai.
The incident, which happened on the night of June 23, came to light after a woman approached the Railway Police with a complaint on Wednesday.
What the complaint said
Based on the 24-year-old woman's complaint, a First Information Report was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 354-A (sexual harassment) at the Mumbai Central Railway police station.
According to the complainant, she boarded the Churchgate-bound train at the Charni Road station. As the train approached the Grant Road station, an unidentified man made lewd gestures at her and used obscene language before getting down.
Efforts to nab the accused
Shaken by the incident, the victim later lodged a complaint with the RPF at Charni Road and the GRP at Mumbai Central.
The Mumbai Central GRP Police said that multiple teams have been formed to track the culprit.
The forces are also scanning the CCTV inside and outside the railway station and questioning locals, said an official.
Second incident this month?
The incident happened less than two weeks after a 20-year-old student was sexually assaulted on a local train.
On June 14, the victim had taken a local train from?Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus?(CSMT) to Masjid to appear for her exams at Belapur in Navi Mumbai.
As the train was about to start, a man in his 40s suddenly jumped inside the ladies' compartment and attacked the girl.
There was just another elderly passenger in the compartment, and the accused caught the girl and started sexually assaulting her as she attempted to fight him off.
As soon as the train reached the Masjid station, the student managed to escape while the accused ran away.
She went and boarded an adjoining general compartment, shaken and crying, when a male co-passenger dialled the GRP Helpline for assistance.
Based on her complaint, the?Railway Protection Force?and Government Railway Police, along with Mumbai Police, managed to track down the accused using CCTV visuals.
The accused, Nawaz Karim Shaikh, a porter originally from Bihar, was arrested on the same day.
Questions on women's safety on Mumbai local trains?
The incident sent shockwaves across Mumbai and raised questions about the safety of lakhs of women travelling in the local trains daily.
Taking note of the incident, Maharashtra State Commission for Women MSCW Chairperson Rupali Chakankar directed the CSMT police station to probe the incident and submit a report to the women's panel.
"Lakhs of women commute by local trains daily and there is a need to ensure their safety. Women's safety is of utmost importance and the concerned department has been instructed to take immediate measures in this regard," said Chakankar.
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