The Railways’ mishandling of seat-allotment between male and female passengers on board the Puducherry-Chennai Egmore daily express train led to several women passengers facing abuse from strangers and about 25 male passengers being detained for an hour at a RPF station on Wednesday.
Hundreds of working men and women board the train, which covers Villupuram, Tindivanam, Chengalpet and smaller stations such as Madurantagam and Melmaruvathur, at Puducherry around 6.15 am and reach Egmore by 9.30 am as the express serves as a major link between the Union territory and Chennai.
Differences have existed between male and female passengers for long over sharing a bogie that is said to be partly reserved for women who had been demanding an exclusive coach other than the small ladies coach because of the huge demand.
This morning, shortly before the train reached Maduranthagam railway station, several male passengers boarded the train and insisted on travelling in a part of a general compartment ‘reserved’ for women.
“Railway authorities told us that one half of a general coach was reserved for women. They even pasted stickers outside the reserved half.
However, today men boarded that coach and refused to alight. When we insisted, a few men started abusing us,” said Chandrika, a regular traveller between Villupuram and Chennai.
The women had no other go but to dial the women helpline. Thanks to the timely intervention of the RPF personnel, 25 male passengers were taken to the station upon reaching Chengalpet.
However, the police let them go after an hour when they asked if the coach was officially reserved for women.
The trouble for the women did not end as a few other male passengers went on an abusing spree before RPF personnel took one male passenger into custody.
“All the embarrassment could have been avoided if the authorities had reserved the entire coach for women,” complained Farzana, another regular passenger.