Train journeys creating concern

The incident of a girl being kicked out of a moving train has raised serious concerns about the safety of train passengers. This incident once again brings to mind the tragic end of the woman named Soumya, who was pushed out of the women's compartment in Shoranur, raped and murdered. Although many security measures were taken in trains after that, the many incidents of violence that followed prove that the security announcements in trains is not effective. Sonu, a 19-year-old native of Palode, Thiruvananthapuram, who was kicked out in Varkala, is in a critical condition at the Medical College Hospital with a spinal injury.

The shocking incident took place on the Kerala Express bound for Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday night. The accused, Suresh Kumar, a 48-year-old native of Parassala, who had attempted murder while drunk, was caught by passengers and handed over to the police. He had boarded the general compartment from Varkala in a state of drunkenness. Sonu and her friend Archana questioned him about his bad behavior. When they went to the train's toilet following this, the accused, who had followed them, kicked Sonu, throwing her out of the train. The accused tried to push out Archana too, but she managed to hang by the door rail till other passengers rushed to her rescue. Sonu was found unconscious in a bush near the Ayanthi bridge during a search conducted by the police.

There was not a single police officer for security in the general compartment where the girls were travelling. The passengers would not have to argue with those who misbehave if sufficient police officers were deployed on each train. They can directly complain to the police officer instead. The RPF's explanation is that security officers are assigned to trains based on crime data, in the face of a shortage of personnel. More incidents of violence and thefts take place in general compartments. Those who board the reserved compartment have proper documents. That is not the case in the general compartment. Anyone can board there by buying a ticket. The maximum security should be provided in such compartments for the same reason. It is not the passengers who should solve the problem of the shortage of police personnel. That is the responsibility of the railways.

India is also a country where many educated youth are unemployed. Such incidents can be completely resolved if there are two police personnel guarding the toilets in each general compartment. The railway authorities, who are responsible for ensuring the presence of security personnel on the train, should immediately take steps to increase the strength of the police. Similarly, phone numbers for people to lodge complaints should be prominently displayed in all the coaches. Many lives have been lost in the past due to passengers falling through open doors near the toilets. Installing doors that open only at the station, like in 'Vande Bharat', in all trains is not something that will happen soon. However, it cannot be said that such unfortunate events will not repeat themselves if no steps are taken to at least increase the number of security personnel until such a system is in place.