Mumbai: Uniformed personnel to be posted in ladies coaches of suburban trains

Government Railway Police (GRP) will deploy personnel more than 1,200 uniformed officers on platforms and in women's compartments of suburban trains between the hours of 9 pm and 6 am to ensure the safety of women commuters.

The move comes in the wake of recent incidents of sexual harassment of woman commuters on suburban trains in Mumbai. Two incidents of sexual assault and harassment of women on moving trains in the city were reported in the past month. The Railway police solved both the cases by arresting the accused persons.

Taking cognisance of these incidents, the GRP has come up with a plan for the safety of women commuters during their train journey, especially in night and early morning hours, said the police official on Tuesday. Personnel in uniforms will be posted in ladies compartments between 9 pm and 6 am, he said.

The vast Mumbai suburban train network is spread across Central, Western, Harbour, Trans-Harbour and Belapur-Nerul-Kharkopar (Ulwe) lines. During the night time, the Railway operates 1,041 trains on these routes, he said.Considering the safety of women passengers and to avoid any untoward incidents, the GRP has decided to deploy 640 personnel on trains and more than 600 on platforms, said the official. If women passengers find that security personnel are not onboard ladies coaches, they can immediately call the Railway helpline on 1512, he said.