Police thrash men in Metro women’s coaches

NEW DELHI/GURGAON - With repeated requests failing to keep men away from Delhi Metro coaches reserved for women, policemen and women decided there was only one way out: thrash the male offenders.

And so on Thursday, on two separate occasions in Gurgaon and New Delhi, several police and security personnel barged into the first coaches that are reserved for women but which were half filled with men.

As the doors opened at the Guru Dronacharya Metro Station in Gurgaon, policewomen in khaki and mufti barged in, dragged out the unsuspecting men and assaulted them.

Similar scenes were witnessed at the Hauz Khas station in south Delhi. Here the police personnel were males.

In no time, men of all ages who had occupied the women’s only coaches fled even as the police personnel slapped and boxed them.

Two men were made to do sit-ups at the Hauz Khas station, Cynthia Abraham, an eyewitness, told IANS.

In the process, the trains got held up at the stations for a long time, delaying traffic all along the busy, 34-km network that connects the north of Delhi with Gurgaon in Haryana.

“We were getting a lot of complaints that male commuters were travelling in coaches reserved for women,” said Bharti Arora, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) in Gurgaon.

“There were also complaints of teasing. To make travel safe for women commuters, we started a drive Thursday evening. This will continue for a week,” she added.

Squads of women policemen were deployed at the five Metro stations of Gurgaon.

Vikky Seghal, one of the men caught in the women’s coach, almost lost his eye because of the thrashing.

“Vikky boarded the train from Sikanderpur and entered the ladies coach to hand over my laptop. Due to the heavy rush, he could not move to the general coach,” said a female friend of Sehgal.

“Suddenly, five male and two female security personnel entered the coach and began thrashing the men. They used abusive language and did not listen to us,” she added.

Seghal’s spectacles were broken and he was hurt near his eyes. His nose started to bleed profusely.

“We got off at the Guru Dronacharya station and rushed him to the hospital,” she added.

A Gurgaon police officer said: “If male passengers continue to board the women’s coach, stricter action will be taken.”

A Delhi Metro official admitted that males entering women’s coaches was a serious problem.

The Metro has reserved the first coach of every train for females.

While most men obey the rule, a large number has continued to board the women coaches, defeating the Metro’s bid to provide women’s a safe mode of travel. There were also incidents of molestation.

Said a Metro official: “The security personnel need to be stricter. Men are ogling, pushing or groping women passengers. We fine violators Rs.200, but the condition persisted.”