No room for safety? Women allegedly harassed on Kaveri Express

The ordeal experienced by a group of women on the Mysore-Chennai Kaveri Express (16022) has raised disturbing concerns about the safety of women on the Indian Railways. On November 24, general secretary of the OBC wing of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee Dhivya Marunthiah and four others boarded the train and found at least ten men in their seats without any reserved tickets. While a few of them left the coupe after being asked to do so, a few of them not only refused but also verbally abused and threatened Dhivya, she told TNM. Moreover, the Railway Police Force (RPF) has not been helpful despite concerns over the safety of women travelers.

Dhivya stated that she and her fellow passengers boarded the S1 compartment in Mysore at around 9:30 p.m. About six ticketless passengers refused to leave the train, saying they would stay there until the train reached Mandya. During the argument, one of the men made a threatening phone call, asking for “backup” at the next station.

The male passenger then tried to intervene but was also verbally abused. At around 10.10 p.m., Dhivya pulled the emergency chain. However, the responding police officer refused to intervene. In a video shared with TNM, an official dressed in an RPF uniform can be seen shouting “I can’t do anything” before walking away. Dhivya maintains that the train ticket inspector (TTE) did not show up during the entire incident, which lasted for at least one and a half hours.

Dhivya added that attempts to get help through various helplines proved futile. Calls to 139 (Rail Passenger Safety Helpline), 1800 111 322 (Rail Passenger Safety Helpline) and others resulted in only general replies. She maintains that the Karnataka Police officers who responded to her calls were not helpful. They allegedly tried to record a conversation with her without her consent and dismissed her objections. Moreover, when the train stopped at the station, about ten men, summoned by one of the ticketless travelers, shouted through the windows of Dhivya and her fellow passengers, she added, even in the presence of the police.

“The ticketless men also tried to create a linguistic dispute between Tamil and Kannada speakers. But this is not about language policy, but about women’s safety. Other passengers told me that such incidents happen almost every day. A similar incident occurred in the neighboring This also applies to all women, regardless of language. Such incidents highlight the negligence of the Indian Railways,” Dhivya told TNM.

Dhivya, who posted about the incident multiple times on X (formerly Twitter) from the train, pointed out that despite her large social media reach, no help had come from the RPF and even now, no Indian Railways official had contacted her. “This raises questions about the safety measures for women who regularly travel on this route. Anything could have happened to us that night. However, no RPF or railway official took our situation seriously. The incident ended only after the ticketless men left the train in Bengaluru around 12 p.m. :30. However, passengers told me that such incidents are common on this route, especially between Mysore and Bengaluru.