Mumbai local train safety: No constable after 11.30 pm? Kalyan-bound woman passenger raises alarm

For women travelling alone on a Mumbai local late at night an empty ladiesrsquo compartment can raise more questions about safety than provide reassurance A 35yearold accountant from Kalyan has flagged the lack of visible security on latenight services particularly during long halts between Thakurli and Kalyan and said she faced difficulties while trying to reach the railway womenrsquos helplineMeenu Dugal a frequent commuter who travels between Nahur and Kalyan daily shared her experience with middaycom revealing how women travelling alone on Mumbairsquos local trains late at night may not always have a safe journeyView this post on InstagramA post shared by midday middayindiaShe has raised concerns over the lack of visible security in ladies compartments during latenight services long halts between Thakurli and Kalyan and difficulties in accessing the railway womenrsquos helplineMeenu Dugal who works in Nahur and travels towards Kalyan daily told middaycom that she regularly boards whichever train is available for Kalyan and usually travels between 1130 pm and 1230 am She said she often finds herself as one of the only passengers in the ladies compartmentldquoI usually take the compartment close to the motorman Most of the time I am the only passenger sitting in the female compartmentrdquo Dugal saidAccording to Dugal while Railway Protection Force RPF personnel and other security staff may be present on latenight trains they do not always remain in the ladiesrsquo compartments for the entire journeyShe said some personnel told her they get down at Thane or Thakurli as it is more convenient for them to catch another train towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus CSMTlsquoI was asked to shift to the general compartmentrsquoDugal said she has raised concerns about travelling alone with security personnel but was advised to move to the general compartmentldquoWhen I raise concerns about my safety to the RPF personnel and constables they ask me to shift to the general compartment I dont find that safe either That shouldnt be the solution We need security that will take care of female commuters and look after our safetyrdquo she saidShe said the issue becomes more concerning when trains are delayed or halted for long periods during the nightldquoMany times the train halts between Thakurli and Kalyan for around 30 minutes I have also tried to raise this and tried calling the railway womens helpline number but no one receives the callrdquo she allegedDugal said her journey from Nahur to Kalyan already takes around an hour with prolonged halts adding to her travel time late at nightlsquoIf security is present and this happens imagine when there is nonersquoAn incident she witnessed earlier this month has further heightened her concernsDugal said that on August 11 at around 1128 pm a drunk man allegedly entered the ladies compartment despite security personnel being present near the coach entranceldquoThere was a situation on August 11 where a drunk man entered the ladies compartment even when the security personnel was standing near the compartment gate Situations like this occur when there is security Imagine how unsafe it is when there is no security availablerdquo she saidDugal said she happened to find security personnel at the station during her August 28 journey but claimed their presence was linked to their own onward travelldquoIn the video I luckily found security force that day They were waiting at the station as they wanted to go to CSMTrdquo she saidMeenu Dugal said a drunk man allegedly entered the ladies compartment on August 11 at 1128 pm despite a security personnel being present near the coach entranceHer concerns highlight a larger question for women using Mumbais suburban railway network late at night whether the presence of security personnel elsewhere on a train is enough when women are travelling alone in designated ladies compartmentsPassenger association suggests grouping ladies compartmentsMumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh MRPS president Madhu Kotian said security personnel should remain near or inside ladies compartments during latenight servicesldquoThe security personnel must stay in the female compartments during the night time for their safetyrdquo Kotian saidHowever he acknowledged that deploying separate security personnel in every ladies compartment could be difficult because of manpower constraintsldquoIf there are three ladies compartments it is not possible for the Railways to arrange that many security officers as the Railways do lack manpowerrdquo he saidKotian said the MRPS had earlier suggested an alternative to the Indian Railways placing all three ladies compartments together near the motormans compartment rather than having them spread across the trainldquoThat way even if there is one constable in the middle of the bogie that can help with security and keep an eye on all three coachesrdquo he saidCentral Railway speaksldquoEfforts are being made to ensure that every train is adequately manned during night hours to ensure the safety of female passengers Appropriate action will also be taken against the home guard personnel who was deployedrdquo Central Railway CPRO Dr Swapnil Nila told middaycomThe RPF is also collecting details of the train from the passenger concerned to ascertain the circumstances of the incident he added