Title - Cops want CCTVs on all local trains

On August 18, an American national, Michelle Marks, was assaulted inside the first class compartment of a local train near Charni Road by a drug addict, who escaped with her mobile phone.

On August 26, a Nalla Sopara resident, Rupali Shinde, was assaulted by an unidentified man while she was boarding the train at Goregaon railway station around 8 pm.

On September 5, Dombivli resident Aarti Gholapkar, a single mother, fell off a Thane-bound train after being attacked by a robber. She died two days later.

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Three days after train theft victim Aarti Gholapkar succumbed to injuries last weekend, the Mumbai Police wants CCTV cameras on all local trains.

Dombivli resident Gholapkar, 43, was a single mother, and was returning home after work at a shirt-manufacturing unit in Pawane MIDC, when an unidentified person struck her with a stick that had a sharp hook at one end in a bid to snatch her handbag, around 7.30 pm Thursday.

Gholapkar had boarded a Thanebound train at Koparkhairane, and the incident took place near Ghansoli station. The victim, standing on the footboard of a ladies compartment, lost her balance and fell off the train. She slipped into coma on the spot, even as the thief took away her jewellery and money. Gholapkar died on Saturday.

This was the fourth case of attack on women commuters on local trains in the last three weeks, and the underfire Mumbai Police wrote to both Central and Western Railway a couple of days ago, seeking a CCTV camera surveillance system that will cover at least the ladies compartments.

Barely hours before Gholapkar was attacked last Thursday, a robber hit three women travelling on the footboard of a crowded local at Chinchpokli with a stick, and escaped with a mobile phone dropped by one of them.

On August 18, an American national, Michelle Marks, was assaulted inside the first class compartment of a local train near Charni Road by a drug addict, who escaped with her mobile phone. Eight days later, a Nalla Sopara resident, Rupali Shinde, was hit on the head by an unidentified man while she was boarding the train at Goregaon railway station around 8 pm.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Protection & Security) Madhukar Pandey confirmed the police department wrote to the railways regarding the feasibility of CCTV cameras on trains, but refused to give out details.

The Mumbai Police says the CCTV surveillance has worked very well for the BEST. "The BEST has a fleet of more than 6,000 buses, of which around 3,500 have CCTV cameras. Besides helping in identifying the suspects, the cameras act as deterrent. They have been a great help in solving cases of thefts and sexual harassment on buses," a senior police officer said.

The BEST caters to 40 lakh commuters every day, and the local trains carry 60 lakh passengers. "The BEST has covered more than 50 per cent of its buses with CCTV cameras, and such surveillance has been made mandatory for the metro rakes," the officer said.

Every time there has been a case of robbery or assault on local trains, the Government Railway Police, in-charge of security of the suburban rail network along with the railways, points to the lack of manpower. After the attack on Michelle Marks, the GRP demanded 900 personnel.

The railway officials said they did install CCTV cameras on some locals on an experimental basis, but "things didn't work out". A senior railway official said, "Local trains are parked at desolated spots in the night, and CCTV cameras are often stolen. Besides, many women commuters objected to the cameras, saying it was intrusion in privacy. Then there is the cost factor. Such surveillance is very, very expensive."

Another official said women themselves said they preferred cops in the compartments, rather than CCTV cameras. "During one of our meetings with the commuters, several women said they were not comfortable with the idea of being filmed. Recently, the Western Railway installed CCTV cameras in few of their rakes, but dropped the idea as the results weren't satisfactory," the official said.