Woman Journalist Assaulted At Kolkata Railway Station, Chases Molesters Before They Flee

An FIR was registered and two of the accused were identified using CCTV footage, police said.(Image: PTI/file photo)

A 23-year-old woman journalist was assaulted late Thursday night inside the subway of Sodepur railway station after she resisted molestation by a group of youths, police said. The incident took place around 9.40 pm when the woman, a resident of Sodepur, was returning home alone after meeting a friend. According to her statement, six to seven men, allegedly drunk, followed her into the subway, passed obscene remarks and molested her.

“I initially ignored them and tried to walk fast. Suddenly, someone from behind touched me inappropriately. When I slapped one, the group turned violent. They slapped and punched me before fleeing. Though I screamed for help, nobody stepped forward. People only watched from the stairs,” the survivor told The Times of India.

Despite facial injuries, the woman tried to chase the attackers but was outpaced as they fled. She also alleged police inaction, claiming that two Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel on platform number 4 did not intervene.

“They told me to first identify the accused and then lodge a complaint. It was only after the officer-in-charge of Dum Dum GRP intervened that action was initiated,” she said.

An FIR was registered and two of the accused were identified using CCTV footage, police said.

The incident has triggered outrage over safety lapses at suburban railway stations. Chaitali Mukherjee, a social activist, said, “With the police yet to apprehend all accused, questions remain over both security preparedness and the role of on-duty personnel.”