Woman sexually harassed, assaulted aboard Malabar Express in Kerala; accused arrested

Thiruvananthapuram: A 25-year-old woman was allegedly sexually harassed by a man aboard the Malabar Express on Tuesday and assaulted when she threatened to report him to the police.

An officer of the Thampanoor Railway Police Station said the 39-year-old accused had been arrested and would be booked under Sections 74 (assault or criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 75 (sexual harassment), 115 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 125 (wrongful restraint) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Police said the woman had boarded the train at Chirayinkeezhu, as usual, on her way to work in Thiruvananthapuram city. The man allegedly kept touching her inappropriately throughout the journey.

Initially, she thought the contact was accidental due to the crowd of passengers. However, she later objected to his behaviour, police said.

As she was getting off the train at Pettah railway station, she told the accused that she would report him to the police.

Angered by her threat, he allegedly assaulted her, causing her to fall unconscious on the platform, police said.

On seeing this, other passengers on the platform intervened, detained the accused and handed him over to the police.

The woman, who works in the public relations department of a prominent hospital in the capital, told reporters that the man had allegedly hit her on the face, pushed her off the train onto the platform and was about to kick her when members of the public intervened.

“He also abused me,” she alleged.

Police said an assault case had also been registered against the accused in Attingal.