Threatened and abused by some passengers, Namrata Mahajan recounts the prompt response from RPF after her tweet to the Ministry of Railways, which was replied by Suresh Prabhu himself
After a tweet and a call saved her day, Namrata Mahajan will now vouch for the quick action by the Indian Railways. The 28-year-old doctor from JJ Hospital sought help on Thursday November 26 from the railways after facing verbal harassment from fellow passengers, following which the Railway Police Force (RPF) got into action.
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Namrata Mahajan
Mahajan was returning to Mumbai from a visit to her family in Akola, and boarded the train (18030) at around 6 pm. When she went to occupy her berth, she found a school-going boy (who Mahajan assumed to be around 14 years of age) to be seated there. She asked the boy to vacate the seat, but he complained to his parents.
A screenshot of the Twitter thread between Mahajan and Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu
Mahajan recollected, “The boy complained to his parents, who were in the adjacent compartment. Instead of pacifying the child, the father started shouting at me, hurling abuses and threatening to hit me. It was a big family of aunts and uncles.”
Threatened and scared, Mahajan tweeted to @RailMinIndia at 6.59 pm stating ‘Plz plz help me in train no. 18030 one mail passenger harassing me at Shegaon. I am in train terrified.’ Her tweet was immediately replied by Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu, who also provided her with the new toll free security helpline number 182, which is operational on all divisions over South Central Railway.
“As soon as I called the helpline, officials noted down my details, including the gist of the incident,” Mahajan said. When the train halted at 7.45 pm at Bhusaval, the next halt, the RPF entered the compartment. “They knew all the details and case history, and began vacating the coach that was full of unreserved travellers.
When the family saw the RPF, they got scared,” explained Mahajan. Since the family had valid tickets, they couldn’t be questioned, but were warned to stop their misbehaviour. Two policemen guarded the bogey through the night.
“I was worried that the family would threaten and trouble me further, but the immediate help from the railways made my travel safe,” said a comforted Mahajan, who travels every six months to Akola. This is the first time she has faced such an incident, she said.
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