Woman sexually harassed at Delhi Metro station

New Delhi, June 3 A woman was sexually harassed at the Jor Bagh Metro station following which the police registered an FIR under the relevant sections of the law, an official said on Friday.

The incident, which took place on Thursday afternoon, came to light after the victim shared her ordeal on social media, prompting Delhi Police to take action.

The victim, in a eight-post thread on Twitter, narrated the entire incident as to how she was sexually harrased at the Jor Bagh Metro station. She said she was approached by a man who asked her for help with an address during the Metro ride.

"I helped him, then got off at my station and sat on the platform to book a cab. The man approached me again at the station under the garb of confirming the address. Believing that he needed help, I peered into his file that he was trying to show me. At this point, I noticed that he was trying to thrust his private part on me. He attempted to do this thrice. As soon as I noticed, I got up and ran... I was scared and couldn't think straight," she wrote on Twitter.

She further alleged that soon after the incident, she approached a policeman standing on the platform, but he flatly refused to help her and asked her to go upstairs to talk about it. Later she went to the CCTV room and checked the footage where she recognised the sexual offender. However, despite raising the complaint, the security personnel present there took no action.

"I got no help from the @OfficialDMRC police. I am now extremely paranoid and scared to step out of my house," the woman stated.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Metro), Harendra Kumar Singh, said they have taken cognisance of the social media post and approached the victim, who is a resident of Gurugram.

"We have recorded her statement and registered a case. We are examining the CCTV footage," the DCP said.

The DCP also mentioned the victim woman's allegation, in which she had stated that she approached a policeman but the cop didn't help her.

"Those are the security personnel of CISF and we are taking this matter with their higher-ups to find out under what circumstance the incident was not brought to our notice," he said.

Delhi Police spokesperson Suman Nalwa has assured all the women in the national capital that the police will take such complaints very seriously and they should not hesitate to approach the police in such matters.

Meanwhile, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation also issued a statement stating that the organisation has zero-tolerance for any act amounting to indecent behaviour or sexual harassment.

"We are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for the travelling public at all times. In the context of the recent incident reported at Jor Bagh, we have already taken up the issue with the concerned security agencies. Delhi Police have taken cognisance of the complaint and are investigating the matter," the DMRC said.

It further said that the Delhi Metro premises and trains are covered by CCTV cameras at multiple locations and the footage of this incident has already been shared with the police authorities, who are actively pursuing the case.

"Apart from CCTV cameras, the Delhi Metro trains are equipped with passenger emergency alarms (PEA) through which the passengers can communicate with the train operator.

"The stations are well lit at all locations to avert any mishap and the Delhi Metro helpline number 155370 is also operational round the clock," it said.

The Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), Swati Maliwal, also took suo moto cognisance of the incident and issued a notice to Delhi Police.

"Strongest action must be taken against the man who needs to be urgently arrested," Maliwal tweeted.