A young woman’s Instagram post detailing her harrowing experience of being repeatedly groped by elderly men on a train in Bihar has gone viral. The incident, which occurred during a solo trip from Siwan to Patliputra, has reignited serious concerns over the safety of women on public transport.
Concerns over the safety of women travelling alone on public transport have been rekindled after a young woman’s story of alleged harassment during a train ride in Bihar went popular on social media. The woman said that she was frequently groped without her consent by elderly co-passengers in a general carriage before confronting another awkward contact with a stranger after changing compartments.
She posted about the trip on Instagram, calling it one of the most upsetting experiences she had had when travelling alone. According to her post, the incident occurred on July 3 when she was travelling from Siwan to Patliputra in the general compartment of a train. “Just imagine the level of discomfort I went through on the train. This is a true incident that happened to me,” she wrote. The woman said that while travelling, she had moved onto an upper bunk and dozed off. A number of old men boarded the train and took seats beneath her when it arrived in Chhapra.
She alleged that one of the men repeatedly stretched his hand towards her and touched her while she was resting. “I politely asked him, ‘Uncle, please keep your hand down,’ but he ignored me,” she said. “Instead, he started trying to touch me from the front, making me feel extremely uncomfortable.” She claimed the behaviour briefly stopped before starting again.
“After a while, he stopped, and I finally felt a little relieved. But soon, he started touching me again. I sat up and moved as far away as I could on the berth. As if that wasn’t enough, another elderly man also reached up and touched me,” she wrote. She said that she left the compartment in search of a safer location because she could take the situation no longer.
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Internet Reacts
Her post quickly gained attention online, with many users expressing outrage and urging victims of harassment to report such incidents immediately.
One user commented, “This is truly disturbing. Harassment is not limited to one gender, and this incident proves that anyone can become a victim. I’m glad you trusted your instincts and moved away. Everyone deserves to travel safely without fear or discomfort. I hope the authorities take such incidents more seriously.”
Another wrote, “Complaint karna chahiye tha usi time.”
A third user suggested, “Carry whatever pointed things u can hair pins safety pins and just poke them and call the police till police comes u can be a little releaved.”
Another comment read, “Take action on it immediately. If you are not taking any action they will try again with someone else. This type of people is everywhere.”