RailEnquiry

This is not the first time that a woman is being attacked on a train. Myriad movies have been made highlighting the plight of innocent passengers. Yet, there's no adequate security personnel to ensure security on trains. Both the Railway Protection Force and General Railway Police Force complain of manpower shortage.

According to an RPFofficial, only express trains have their personnel aboard and not passenger trains like the one in which Tuesday's tragedy took place. "These passenger trains will have only two drivers and a guard, who is in charge of the ladies compartment and makes sure everything is al right in it," he said.

When such an incident takes place, there can be nothing much a guard can do to save the victim singlehandedly-as he is unarmed and the compartment is sealed off from the rest of the train. When asked why there weren't more RPF personnel on the train, he said, "If we had more people, we would have placed them on all trains."

The General Railway Police, too, faces an acute shortage-about 100 police personnel man an entire station and need to ensure the security of passengers. According to an official with the General Railway Police at the City Railway Station: "The number of people allotted for the station is the same as the number some 30 years ago when the number of trains as well as the passenger density was a fraction of what it is today."

Of the 110, 15-20 would manage the various platforms, while another 10 are placed at the ticketing area.

"It is impossible for us to monitor the entire area under our jurisdiction, fro m Yeshwanthpur to Majestic and the Binny Mills area to Maddur and Windsor Manor. We work 12-hour shifts and it becomes very difficult," he said.