21 January,2009 06:38 AM IST | | Vedika Tripathi
The Government Railway Police (GRP) had appointed just 162 constables to guard its 13 lakh women commuters following the July 11, 2006 train blasts. The number has not been raised despite the 26/11 terror attacks last year, and the fact that incidents of rape have risen from one in 2007 to four in 2008.
While senior GRP officers admitted on condition of anonymity that even the records do not portray the complete picture because most women don't want to approach the police when they become a victim of a crime, M D Raskar, senior inspector, Churchgate railway station, claimed that crimes against women in railway compartments have actually declined in the last few months. "Our intensive patrolling, especially between Churchgate and Marine Lines where many such cases would occur, has brought about a substantial reduction in the rate of crime," said Raskar.
"Due to shortage of personnel, we had no option, but to assign just one cop per local train between 9 pm and 6 am. The policeman would guard one second class compartment only. The first class coaches are not guarded because they are mostly deserted late in the night," a GRP official said.
In case of nine-coach trains, police is deployed in the ladies' second-class compartment towards CST or Churchgate and in 12-coach trains, the policeman is deployed in the ladies' second-class coach in the middle of the train.u00a0
Ashok Sharma, GRP Commissioner said, "We have directed the police personnel to keep moving from one ladies' compartment to another. We may also decide to deploy some personnel in the first class ladies' compartments as well."
Reporter's experience
I board the first-class compartment of the 8.58 pm or 10.02 pm Karjat-bound fast train from Byculla. I have never seen a cop guarding the compartment. Men often enter the compartment while the train is on the move and refuse to get off, or promise to do so at the next station. Often the men are in groups. It is very uncomfortable, but there is little one can do without any police presence.
