Mumbai: 

YUCK! The condoms were in the first-class ladies compartment of the 9.27 pm Dadar-Virar fast local from the starting point. They were removed at Borivli station only after the women fought with the cops. Representation pic

The commute in the first-class ladies compartment of the 9.27 pm Dadar-Virar fast local yesterday is a horror that the passengers will never forget. The 20 to 25 women who boarded the train at Dadar were greeted with the stench of urine and the ghastly sight of condoms filled with urine hanging from the handrails and window grills in the compartments. Some of the eight condoms were also kept on the seats.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, the women also had to fight with cops to get the compartment cleaned.

Pulled chain

The appalled women first pulled the chain at Andheri. But no one came to enquire and the train started after 10 to 15 minutes. Surprised at the inaction, they created a hue and cry when the train halted at Borivli (the next stop).

Said Dona Prabhune, who boarded the train from Dadar, "There were condoms all around the compartment. We tried to call the police in Andheri, but no one turned up."

At Borivli

The situation wasn't any better at Borivli. Said Prabhune, "Instead of helping immediately, a cop named Ghosavi said, 'Why did you enter the train when you saw this?'
Added Prabhune, "I told the cop, "We have no option, because for every two Borivli trains, there is only one Virar train and there is only one ladies first class compartment among the 12 coaches."

Another commuter, a nurse, said, "The police told us that since women always have a problem with cops coming into their compartments, why were we making a fuss now."
Finally, after a heated argument with the cops, the housekeeping staff cleared the mess.
The 49 women in the compartment also did a signature campaign to keep a record of those who had witnessed the incident.