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Journalism of Courage
A 20-year-old woman was raped inside the packed Pawan Express, as her husband and co-passengers, held at knife-point, watched. The incident took place early on Tuesday between Nashik and Igatpuri. The train was on its way to Mumbai from Nashik.
The government railway police have arrested the main accused, Prakash Jadhav and four others.
The trouble started soon after 1 am, when a group of people — mostly followers of Dr B R Ambedkar — on their way to his ‘‘chaityabhoomi’’ in Dadar, Mumbai, on the eve of his death anniversary, barged into the compartment, said railway police officials.
Jadhav and his friends — all armed — were among them.
For the next two hours, the five men unleashed mayhem, beating up passengers. There was no policeman in the coach.
Then they turned to the young woman on seat number 29 in the S5 compartment. Her husband was on the bunk above her. Jadhav, said railway police officials, was ‘‘heavily drunk’’. He raped the woman as his friends kept her husband and co-passengers at bay.
On their way back, they robbed whoever came their way, snatching whatever they could lay their hands on.
Soon after, the woman’s husband and other passengers pulled the chain and narrated the incident to the railway policemen. A case was registered at the Kalyan railway station.
In the morning, the police tracked down Jadhav and his friends. Four passengers were injured in the scuffle with the five men. They have been admitted to Nashik civil hospital, said the railway police.
The railway police also said there were reports of looting from other Mumbai-bound trains — Amritsar Express, Vidarbha Express and Lucknow Superfast.
When asked why there were no constables in the coach where the woman was raped, a railway police inspector said: ‘‘What can we do? There is no space in the trains. People going to Chaityabhoomi sit anywhere, they jam the doors.’’
