Woman raped on a moving train in Alipurduar, two arrested

Once again, the safety alarm on moving trains was raised as a distressing incident unfolded aboard the Alipurduar-bound Sifang Express on a Saturday afternoon. According to reports, a woman was allegedly subjected to a heinous act of rape by two individuals identified as Nainal Abdul (aged 25) and Mainul Haq (aged 26). These accused youths allegedly resorted to threatening the woman with harm to her child if she did not comply.

Alipurduar (West Bengal): Raising the safety alarm on moving trains once again, a woman was allegedly raped onboard Alipurduar-bound Sifang Express on Saturday afternoon. Following a complaint, the two accused youths, Nainal Abdul (25) and Mainul Haq (26), who threatened to throw the woman’s child if she didn’t give in, were apprehended by the GRP.

The unfortunate incident occurred last Saturday afternoon while the housewife was returning to Alipurduar with her child. The train had reached Fakiragram in Assam, and most passengers had disembarked, leaving the compartments nearly empty. With no security guards present and the train moving without any stoppage between Fakiragram and Alipurduar Junction, the two accused individuals saw an opportunity and acted on it.

According to the victim's account, when she refused the advances of one of the young men, he became aggressive and slapped her. Both youths then proceeded to tie her up and threatened to throw her child out of the moving train if she did not comply with their demands. This horrifying ordeal took place amid a vulnerable setting, where no one was there to intervene or offer assistance.

After the train arrived at Alipurduar Junction, the traumatized woman immediately sought help from the railway police and RPF (Railway Protection Force) and reported the incident. Promptly acting on her complaint, the authorities initiated a search operation and managed to apprehend the two accused youths on Saturday night. The suspects were identified as residents of Kokrajhargarh in Assam.

Subsequently, the accused were produced before the Alipurduar court on Sunday, and they have been remanded to police custody for five days. On the basis of the victim's complaint, the police have charged them with rape and attempt to murder.

Following the incident, concerns regarding the safety of women on trains have once again come to the forefront. The lack of security measures and personnel on certain train routes poses a significant risk to passengers, especially women travelling alone or with children. Authorities must address these concerns urgently and implement stringent measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.

Assistant Security Commissioner Deepak Kumar Chowdhury from RPF's Alipurduar Division assured the public that the police are taking the matter seriously and have arrested the suspects promptly. Amarjit Gautam, the DRM (Divisional Railway Manager) of Alipurduar, expressed his commitment to taking stringent action to prevent such heinous acts in the future.