Girl accuses train attendant of sexual harassment
LUCKNOW: The rescue of a 10-year old girl from an iron box on Garib Rath Express on Saturday has raised questions on the involvement of railway attendants in trafficking. Incidentally, the girl has alleged the train attendant sexually harassed her too.
The girl was being trafficked from Daltonganj in Jharkhand to Delhi and was rescued after some passengers suspected the presence of a child in the box. An FIR has been lodged in Etawah where the GRP rescued the victim. She is in a shelter home while the attendant has been arrested.
Rishi Kant of Shakti Vahini, an organisation working closely with the state government to combat trafficking, said, “The incident has raised many questions and requires the attention of not only the UP police but also of Jharkhand and Delhi. There are so many inter-state trains and if girls are trafficked through this method, then the police need to be really vigilant.”
Sources in Etawah police said that in her statement, the girl had alleged that the train attendant sexually harassed her. “There is a possibility that the girl was drugged because despite being locked in the box throughout Friday night, she began crying only on Saturday morning. This indicates that she was unconscious the entire night. But as soon as she regained consciousness, she cried for help,” said Ambreesh, a native of Ranchi who was on board the same train.
Kamal Saksena, secretary, home department said that thorough investigations in the case would be carried out.
Charges have been framed against the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act), trafficking, kidnapping and assault, said Yashpal Singh, station house officer (SHO), GRP.
“The attendant has been sent to jail and we are trying to nab the other people involved in the crime. The UP police are now trying to track the person who was to receive the girl in Delhi. If needed, we will also seek help from the Delhi police to crack the case and reach the gang behind the trafficking,” he said.