Congress MP Manickam Tagore gave a notice in the Lok Sabha to discuss the issue of safety of women passengers in trains
New Delhi: On Tuesday, Congress MP Manickam Tagore announced his intention to introduce a resolution to defer the Lok Sabha’s Business of the House in order to address the matter of women’s train safety.
He brought up a recent instance in which a pregnant lady reportedly resisted a rape attempt and was ejected off the Coimbatore-Tirupati Intercity Express train.
In his motion, Tagore stated, “That this House do now adjourn to discuss a matter of urgent public importance, namely, the growing concern over the safety of women passengers in trains, as evidenced by the recent horrific incident of a pregnant woman being thrown out of the Coimbatore-Tirupati Intercity Express train after resisting an attempted rape, and to request the Railway Minister to take immediate and effective measures to ensure the safety and security of all passengers, particularly women, during their journey by train.”
The current incident aboard the Coimbatore-Tirupati Intercity Express train, he said, is a clear reminder of how vulnerable female rail passengers are. “The fact that the accused was a habitual offender and had been involved in similar cases in the past highlights the laxity of the railway authorities in ensuring the safety of passengers,” the Member of Parliament for Congress said.
Manickam Tagore said that there have been several instances of women being harassed, molested, and even raped on trains nationwide, proving that this is not a unique incidence.
Therefore, I ask the Railway Minister to take prompt, decisive action to guarantee the security and protection of all passengers—especially women—during their train ride. This entails placing CCTV cameras in every coach, boosting the proportion of female police officers and Railway Protection Force (RPF) officers on trains, and setting up emergency response systems so that travelers can report any instances of harassment or molestation,” he said.
Notably, the parliament’s budget session began on January 31 and is scheduled to conclude on April 4.
