16 July,2026 10:47 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Varsha Gaikwad said that Congress would once again highlight suburban railway safety during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning on July 20. File Pic
Mumbai Congress president and Lok Sabha MP Varsha Gaikwad has claimed that travelling on Mumbai's suburban railway network is becoming increasingly unsafe due to a rise in assaults, murders and crimes against women, reported the PTI.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Gaikwad accused the Maharashtra government and railway authorities of failing to protect passengers using the city's suburban rail network, often described as Mumbai's lifeline.
Gaikwad said that commuters already faced daily overcrowding on local trains and that recent violent incidents had made travelling even more dangerous, the news agency reported.
She referred to several recent cases, including the fatal stabbing of a young passenger on a local train last month, another knife attack near a railway station following a minor dispute, and an assault on a commuter aboard a Central Railway suburban service near Ambernath in neighbouring Thane district in Maharashtra.
According to Gaikwad, such incidents have raised serious concerns about passenger safety.
The Congress leader alleged that railway authorities had failed to introduce effective measures to prevent violent crime on the suburban network, according to the PTI.
She claimed that people carrying sharp weapons were able to travel freely on trains and that many women passengers also felt increasingly unsafe.
Gaikwad said investigations were launched after incidents occurred but alleged that long-term preventive measures remained inadequate.
Gaikwad said several meetings had been held with railway officials to discuss commuter safety, but claimed that concerns raised by public representatives had not been properly addressed, as per the PTI.
She added that the issue had also been raised repeatedly in Parliament without receiving what she described as a satisfactory response from the government.
The Congress MP said her party would once again highlight suburban railway safety during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning on July 20.
The renewed debate over commuter safety comes after two separate incidents were reported on Thursday.
According to Central Railway, a woman allegedly used pepper spray during an argument over a seat in the first-class ladies' compartment of a local train during the morning rush hour.
In another incident, three men were injured following a fight over seating in the luggage compartment of a Parel-Ambernath local train shortly after midnight.
Officials said the altercation took place between Dombivli and Thakurli stations in Thane district. The injuries were reportedly caused by the metal kada (bangle) worn by one of the men.
Railway authorities are investigating both incidents.
(with PTI inputs)
