mid-day journalist harassed: Three calls to RPF got me no help

The victim made three unfruitful calls to the RPF helpline number

A normal Mumbai Thursday evening turned out to be rather nightmarish for me on my way back home. After alighting the local train at Borivli's platform no 1, I was heading towards the auto-rickshaw stand outside the station when I saw three drunk men walking towards the station. When one of them intentionally brushed against me and tried to harass me in complete public view, I shoved his hand aside and protected myself with the help of my handbag.

He soon became violent as his companions fled the spot while he continued murmuring gibberish. A crowd gathered at the spot soon enough and I dialled 100. The cops on line asked me to dial 182 - the RPF contact number. I did not get any assistance on 182 either as they asked me to check for cops patrolling the platform. Upon finding no cops at the station, I asked them to send prompt assistance as the man had begun hurling abuses.

She tweeted the incident on Thursday night but has hardly received any concrete response

Despite three more calls to 182, no help arrived. Meanwhile, an onlooker tried to help by getting hold of the drunk man but the accused managed to free himself and escaped in no time. The police hadn't arrived yet, and people began advising me to let it go.

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Upon reaching home, I tweeted to the Mumbai Police and tagged the Western Railway too. A response from the Western Railway directed one of its divisions to look into the matter. More than 24 hours after the incident, I haven't received any communication from the Mumbai Police or the Western Railway authorities. When contacted, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner of RPF, Western Railway S R Gandhi said, "We will enquire into this matter and ensure that women's safety is taken care of."

RPF officials said that when a person calls 182 for help, the RPF does not have the facility to call the complainant back. A technical glitch must have caused Thursday's issue.

This is, however, not the first time that a woman was harassed at Borivli's platform no 1. A 23-year-old had faced a similar situation last year with two drunk men harassing and following her up to the bus stop.

Also Read: Mumbai Crime: Youth thrashed unconscious for harassing girl in Goregaon

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