15 October,2010 07:06 AM IST | | Kranti Vibhute
The Government Railway Police (GRP) officials assigned to guard the ladies compartments on late night Central Railway locals are doubling up as alarm clocks too.
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Funny as it may sound, policemen on duty inside the compartments religiously wake up sleeping passengers so that they do not miss their destinations.
The GRP officials, who guard the trains from 9 pm till the time the last local runs, say they carry out this additional 'responsibility' out of courtesy.
In fact, the routine has become so common that women boarding locals after 10 pm usually inform the policeman on duty about the destination where they have to be woken up, especially if there are no passengers sitting beside them.
Night owls
Kamal Kharat (43), a resident of Ulhasnagar, works late shifts in a hospital in Dadar.
"I leave home at noon to make it for my shift, which starts at 3 pm and goes on till 10 pm. By the time I take the train back home, I am exhausted and my eyes shut involuntarily.
So, I often tell the policeman to wake me up at my stop. It would be scary to miss my destination and go beyond it. For the sake of civility, I think they can do this much for us," she said.
Another passenger, Vidya Nagwekar (39), a resident of Vithalwadi, likened the act to social work. "Whenever I fall asleep, the policeman wakes me up at my station. I don't see any harm if they do this additional job," she said.
Tricky 'duty'
There might not be any harm in this routine but the GRP officials are still cautious. This reporter met one such officer on-duty on a 10.30 pm Karjat local train and he explained that his new 'duty' is a tricky one.
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"It is a strange situation. Sometimes, passengers don't wake up even when we bang on their seats.
It is difficult because we have to be cautious not to touch them for fear of being misunderstood. I regularly check around the compartment to see if anybody is sleeping," he said.
Another policeman with this experience said, "I usually sit quietly in one corner, keeping an eye on any man who might try to board the compartment.
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That is my job. I don't really like to wake up the women who are sleeping but do it as a courtesy. I sympathise with their situation at the end of the day.
If they were to miss their destination, they would have no way to come back so late at night."
He also revealed that it is easier to spot a sleeping passenger in the newer trains than the older ones.
Chief speak
Meanwhile, Raj Khilnani, additional director general of police (Railway), said that the police were always ready to serve the public in any way.
"Whatever little help we can give, we are more than willing. But it is advisable for passengers to not sleep while travelling because when you are awake, you are an alert citizen," he said.
How it all began
THE GRP officials were deployed inside ladies compartments on local trains after an incident on October 10, 1998, when 23-year-old Jaybala Ashar was pushed out of a Borivli-bound local between Charni Road station and Grant Road station by a drug addict who had forced his way into the compartment.
