Not Even The Trains Are Safe As 15 Rape Cases, 328 Molestation Ones Reported In 2018

Women's safety is an issue all across the country and Indian Railways is certainly not an exception of it. Whether it¡¯s the railways' premises such as the stations or the trains- the stories of women being harassed come to fore every now and then despite railways being one of the ministries which remain connected to the passenger via Twitter and Facebook, the female passengers remain unsafe, even in the women especial coaches.

Representational Image/AFP

Going by the numbers presented in the Lok Sabha by the incumbent minister Piyush Goyal, the rape cases with women passengers inside trains got doubled in last three years from seven cases in 2016 to 15 cases in 2018 which clearly puts all the security claims into perspective.

¡°On vulnerable and identified routes/sections, 2500 trains (on an average) are escorted by Railway Protection Force daily in addition to 2200 trains escorted by Government Railway Police of different states daily. Security helpline number 182 is made operational over Indian Railways for security-related assistance to passengers in distress,¡± read the answer of minister Piyush Goyal on Lok Sabha during the winter session.

The statistics

According to the numbers tabled by the minister in Lok Sabha during the winter session, in 2016, the Government Railway Police (GRP) registered seven cases of rape whereas this number increased to 10 and 15 in 2017 and 2018. The molestation cases are quite common and the numbers of cases have seen an increase. The GRP registered a total of 279 cases of molestation in 2016 which saw a decline in 2017 with 249 cases getting registered but it shot up to 328 cases in 2018.

Representational image, Reuters

It should also be understood that most of the molestation cases in India whether they take place in public transport or elsewhere go unreported. These cases could have been just tip of the iceberg as most women passengers prefer not to get into the problem by reporting the cases. The assault cases, however, have been contained in last three years as in 2016, the GRP registered 13 cases of assault which were reduced to 9 in 2017 but in 2018, the assault cases again went up to 13.

Most rapes in Northern zone

Indian Railways have been divided in 16 zones and the northern zone has seen the maximum number of rape cases. The zone witnessed one rape cases being registered in 2016 and five and two in 2017 and 2018 respectively. These rapes have taken place inside trains which again speaks about the kind of security women passengers have been provided with. It also puts a question mark on India¡¯s social fabric where nobody comes forward to help the victim even when crime as grave as rape takes place.

Representational image, Indian Express

Molestation most prevalent in Southern zone

The Southern Zone has seen a maximum number of molestation cases as 43 cases of molestation were registered in 2016 and this number increased to 51 and 71 in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Apart from the Southern, the numbers show that the Central Zone is also quite unsafe for women passengers as a total of 59, 41 and 62 cases of molestation have been registered from this zone in last three years.

Representational image, AP

Regardless, the zones, it¡¯s fact that women passengers feel unsafe across India despite several arrangements including the women-only coaches as well as the CCTV cameras in place.

It¡¯s due to people¡¯s mindset that women travelling alone in a public transport can be easily targeted and unless this mindset changes, no amount of security arrangements are adequate to ensure that women passengers travel without any inhibition or fear in the public transport such as the Indian Railways.