Family with baby jumps off train - Trio escape with injuries after harassment by youths inside two compartments

TT, Alipurduar, Sept. 23: A couple jumped off a running train with their 10-month-old daughter last night after the wife was allegedly harassed by a group of youths and walked 100 yards through a jungle, bleeding, till they were rescued by forest officials.

The father, who works in a garage in Ghaziabad and was coming home to Cooch Behar's Dinhata on vacation, and the baby suffered head injuries while the woman had a hand injury. The trio have been admitted to Alipurduar Railway Hospital.

The 32-year-old man said he had boarded an unreserved compartment of the Alipurduar-bound Mahananda and had been harassing his wife throughout the journey. , said: "As soon as we received the information about the family, we sent some officials to take them to the hospital. The family is much better now."

Makhawana said the compartment for the disabled did not have any police personnel. "All other compartments had cops," he added. "We have started an investigation. The family did not approach the police or any railway official for help."

Mukul Chandra Medhi, the additional security commissioner of the Alipurduar rail division, said the train was running six-and-a-half-hours late five hours late. "The family should have informed the police about the harassment. We could have taken action at any station. We have started a probe."

Asked why he did not inform the police personnel on the train, the garage worker whose wife was allegedly harassed said some policemen had entered the unreserved compartment a few times but he felt embarrassed to complain to them.

"The youths were pretending as if they were touching my wife accidentally because of the crowd. I felt embarrassed to approach the police," he said.

Leaders of several political parties met the family at the hospital. They criticised the railways for allegedly failing to provide security to passengers.

Sourav Chakraborty, the president of the Alipurduar district committee of the Trinamul Congress, said: "I have spoken to the victims. The incident is unfortunate. Passengers have to face harassment often in trains. The railway has failed to ensure safety and security of passengers. Why were the parents forced to jump off the running train with their baby? I demand strong punishment of the accused."

Biswaranjan Sarkar, the president of the Alipurduar district committee of the Congress, said: "This incident proves how passengers in trains are insecure and unsafe. The incident is unfortunate and we protest it."

Till late this evening, the family didn't lodge a police complaint.

Doctors attending to the three said they were out of danger.

"The woman has hurt her right arm but none of them have suffered fractures. The baby and her father have head injuries. A CT-Scan has been conducted on the baby. The man has had four stitches on his head. They are out of danger and under observation," a doctor said.