On the 20th of April 2014, I was groped again. I am a 28 year old woman from Bangalore who is a Keralite by birth. However travelling to my hometown is and always was a nightmare for me. Despite being fully clothed (women are harassed irrespective of their attire however I am including this to answer the first question that pops into everyones mind) and having been alert to the ever present dangers of sexual harassment on trains, such incidents have repeatedly happened to me.

This time, it happened on the Kochuveli express (Train No: 16315) in the second class compartment at 23:45 hrs. I was sleeping in the side seat lower birth and my husband was sleeping in the upper birth. After we fell asleep, a man who I was unable to identify groped me on my chest. I woke up startled and angry. Disgusted, humiliated and violated. I shouted and ran behind him hoping to chase him down. However I stopped short, fearing that my luggage could get stolen and I saw him run away. By that time everybody was awake but nobody saw his face and the molester got away. My husband went looking for the criminal throughout the train but it was in vain.

This has happened on a very punctual and regular basis whenever I had to travel to Kerala on a second class ticket.

The police was non-committal and showed little enthusiasm to find the pervert. The Tamil Nadu Police said that if you catch the man, report at Palakkad station. I was hoping that they’d help me find the man, who could be potentially a rapist and a repeat offender. The Kerala police said that it was not their jurisdiction since the incident happened before Coimbatore. And also, because it was hard to identify the man, there was little they could do, they said. The TTR never came to check the tickets of our compartment. There were beer bottles in the toilet. In effect, a perfect setup for creeps and perverts. One of the men in the compartment, obviously concerned about losing his sleep, even said that “You can’t do anything about it ma, it is how it is. If you take public transport, you should learn to put up with all this in the future as well.” It was as if I am doomed to get the same treatment again.

I am sure this is not a new story because the same thing has happened to me and many women I know on the same route to Kerala many times. Kerala is famous for kind hearted women who excel as Nurses who travel to study and work in Karnataka and all over India. I am 100 percent sure that most of them have had to go through the same trauma, fear and humiliation. I cannot bring myself to think of the plight of these women who get groped by the night by “sick” and cowardly men, put on a brave face and take care of sick men by the day. I am writing to put an end to this. Please support my cause.

Enough is enough. Think of your daughters and sisters and wives who might not be left alone even if you are travelling along with them, as it happened in my case.

The Indian railways is planning to install CCTV cameras in premium trains like the Rajadhani and Shatabdi. However such incidents are highest in the 2nd class and lower class compartments. Hence CCTV cameras should be installed in places where women are molested the most. Please don’t forget the Soumya Murder case or the countless other cases that have happened in running trains. Installing CCTV cameras will go a long way in preventing such crimes. It is criminal for the railways to expose women to such atrocities. And it is high time they ensure basic safety for women, whether rich or poor, irrespective of the class they are travelling. How is it that the railways has the means and the resources to install entertainment systems like LCD televisions on trains and not ensure basic safety? Where are their priorities? If only I had seen a CCTV footage, he could have been caught on camera while running and I could have pin pointed the offender based on the very clothes he wore.

Here’s what women need to feel safer on trains.

1. CCTV Cameras on running trains, especially near the entry and exit passages.

2. Beat police from every jurisdiction, for every train throughout the journey.

3. Side births must not be allotted to women, unless specifically stated otherwise.