A 39-year-old passenger was arrested after allegedly harassing a 25-year-old woman aboard the Malabar Express and assaulting her after she alighted at Pettah railway station in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday morning, according to the Times of India. The woman was taken to General Hospital for treatment after the alleged attack left her unconscious.
The woman had boarded the train at Chirayinkeezhu around 7am. She told reporters that the accused, identified as Vijesh of Attingal, allegedly misbehaved with her during the journey. After she raised an alarm, fellow passengers intervened and made him move away.
The passenger allegedly approached her again after she got off the train at Pettah. When she warned him that she would report his conduct to the police, he allegedly punched her in the face, causing her to collapse and lose consciousness, the report said.
The woman further said the accused was about to kick her when members of the public intervened, restrained him and handed him over to the police. Her account was reported by the Times of India. The report does not provide an independent account from the accused or indicate whether he has responded to the allegations.
An officer from Thampanoor Railway police station said Vijesh would be booked under Sections 74, 75, 115 and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The sections cited by police relate to assault or criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, sexual harassment, voluntarily causing hurt, and an act endangering life or the personal safety of others.
The incident involved two connected passenger environments: the train journey and the station after the woman had alighted. The intervention of fellow passengers during the journey and of members of the public at the station led to the accused being handed over to the police, according to the report.
The woman referred to the February 2011 rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman passenger who was pushed from a moving train, saying the consequences could have been worse had the alleged assault occurred while the train was in motion. That reference was part of her account to reporters and does not establish any connection between the two cases.
Police also said there had been an assault case against Vijesh earlier. The current case follows the alleged harassment on the Malabar Express, the subsequent confrontation at Pettah station and the woman’s treatment at General Hospital. The police booking and further legal proceedings will determine the next steps in the case.
