Tambaram EMU commuters suffer harassment

These men often target women travelling alone and hurl abuses at them besides indulging in groping and other forms of abuse.  Passengers attribute this menace to the unavailability of Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel after 9 pm in these trains. 

According to railway officials, a total of 234 EMU services operate in the Beach- Tambaram sector with 117 trips each way.  Public complain that there is not a single RPF personnel in the railway stations and in the EMU trains after Guindy station. 

Using this opportunity, several people also travel in first-class compartment without tickets as there is no checking done at night. “This is has led to people smoking inside the trains and annoying other passengers. When we try to question them, the situation leads to arguments leaving the situation tense,” said Janani, a regular commuter from Tambaram. “The Railways should deploy RPF personal on the EMUs at night for the safety of the people. Proper ticket checking should also be done in the night,” she added. Passengers also complain that several people board the train in an intoxicated state leading to headache for the co-passengers, especially women. 

When contacted, Tambaram RPF inspector Santhosh Kumar Yadav said that they don’t have sufficient number of RPF officers to inspect all the trains and stations in the suburbs. “We are doing our best with the available staff. Action is taken on the people who are smoking inside the train then and there,” he said.