Rape, murder cases on Railways in MMR spike in 2021, exceed even pre-pandemic figures | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: Murder and rape cases on railways in MMR have shot up in 2021 – exceeding not only the lockdown year of 2020, but also the pre-pandemic 2019 figures. Ten murder cases and 11 cases of rape were reported on Mumbai Railways in 2021. In comparison, eight murder cases and seven cases of rape had been reported in 2019. Police officials attributed the increase to expanding their jurisdiction limits while activists said that a lesser number of women commuting in ladies coaches on the railways because of the pandemic also made them more vulnerable to crime.
The silver lining, however, has been that overall crimes have reduced from more than 33,000 cases in 2019 to about 6,700 cases last year. “The pandemic resulted in an increased level of frustration where anger was vented out on a vulnerable individual, in most cases a woman. We clearly saw this trend with a spike in domestic violence cases. It could also be the reason for more instances of murders and rape on the railways,” said Nandita Shah of the non-profit Akshara.

In September 2021, a young man was arrested for killing his four-year-old son by banging him on the floor at Sanpada railway station following a domestic dispute with his second wife. Police officials said family disputes and personal relationships were the leading case for murder cases last year. A teenager from Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh was pushed off a train between Kopar and Diva by the relatives of a girl he had eloped with. Police had arrested 11 people in the case.
Previously, crimes reported outside ticketing booking offices or in railway yards were registered with the city police and not with the railways. But recently, the Government Railway Police (GRP) have expanded its jurisdiction and now all crimes on railway property are registered with the GRP. “While this could be one of the reasons for a spike in numbers, we are leaving no stone unturned in our investigation. Every murder case reported in 2021 was detected,” said Mumbai GRP commissioner Quaiser Khalid. He added that 91% of rape cases, 90% of kidnapping cases and 85% of robberies were solved.
Passenger welfare activists say Railways is a soft target for crimes because it continues to remain porous. In October 2021, a newly married woman travelling in the Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express was sexually assaulted by a gang of eight men who also robbed other passengers. The incident occurred between Igatpuri and Kasara and the woman’s husband was assaulted when he tried to fight the gang. “At a time when there are restrictions on who can commute in trains, how are these criminals gaining access to railway property? It is necessary for all security agencies on the Railways to work jointly and carry out surprise checks in trains and station areas to instill fear among criminals,” said activist Subhash Gupta.
Many other crimes such as kidnapping, hurt and robberies, among others, dipped in 2020, but are climbing back up in 2021.