An on-duty home guard was arrested on Sunday a day after he allegedly sexually harassed a 24-year-old woman in the ladies compartment of a Western Railway local. Sanjay alias Nagraj Kharpade (33) has been a home guard for 10 years. The incident has raised questions about the safety of women in local trains at night.
Kharpade was deployed on escort duty in ladies compartments. Since October 1 he boarded trains originating from Virar as part of his duty. Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel and home guards are deployed as escorts in 24-hour ladies compartments from 8.30pm to 6am daily.
The victim, who works in a private firm and was visiting her relatives in Vasai, was headed back to her Borivli residence around 10pm on Saturday.
“The victim boarded the ladies compartment of an Up local on platform 3 at Vasai station, along with a fisherwoman. Kharpade was acquainted with the fisherwoman as she was a regular on that local. The two got chatting and the victim joined them in awhile. At Naigaon, the fisherwoman got off but Kharpade continued to chat with the victim, who was now alone in the compartment,” said senior inspector Mahesh Bagwe, Vasai GRP.
The victim started to feel uncomfortable after Kharpade asked her age and said she should not marry when she turned a year older. He hi-fived her once and tried to shake hands with her. The victim later complained that he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Alarmed, the victim did not utter a word. As the train left Mira Road station, she stood near the footboard. She noted down the GRP helpline number, which was flashing on the digital indicator in the train. She got off the train and dialled the helpline at Dahisar.
Operators manning the helpline told her to lodge a formal complaint with the Borivli GRP but she refused as it was late at night.
The GRP contacted her on Sunday and registered an FIR under section 354 (a) of the Indian Penal Code. “We have with us a schedule of trains and the respective home guards deployed on them on escort duty. Kharpade, a Bhiwandi resident, was summoned to the Vasai GRP around 1.45pm and he was arrested,” said an official. Kharpade was produced before a railway court on Monday and remanded to police custody.
“We will send an official report of the case to the director-general’s (home guards) office so that departmental action can be initiated against Kharpade,” said GRP deputy commissioner Deepak Devraj.