Life in Metro gets tougher

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In a recent incident in Gurgaon Metro, male passengers were reportedly thrashed and made to do sit-ups by the police and some women commuters. Although the metro is the lifeline of Delhi and the reserved coach for women is icing on the cake, the behaviour of men is making it tough for women in the city. But one wonders why can’t men in the city follow simple rules and regulations set by the government.

“Why do they misbehave and break rules?” says Purvi Ahuja, a model and a regular Metro commuter. “It hurts a man’s self-esteem to follow rules diligently. Women-only coaches have definitely brought about a feeling of security, but it seems men won’t let women have a designated place of their own. They should be aware that this decision has been made because of repeated incidents of lewd behaviour. It’s embarrassing to even mention what girls had to go through prior to the reservation. I don’t mind if a man comes and sits in the ladies coach if seats are vacant. But they shouldn’t be given this liberty if they can’t behave properly,” she adds.
Ekta Singh, an IAS aspirant, feels that it’s curiosity that compels them to do so. She says, “Even the allotment of women-only coaches didn’t stop men from ogling or straying into our compartment. Most of them do it intentionally. But thanks to the constant policing at each station, this behaviour seems to have been handled well.”
Interestingly, many women commuters don’t mind taking matters into their own hands. Says Reshu Rehsi, a research analyst, “Recently, I was travelling in the Metro with my friends, when a group of boys entered our coach and started staring and passing lewd comments. I asked them twice to move out of the ladies coach, but they ignored our pleas. So, we decided to call Metro officials. The boys were thrown out of the coach and were also fined. Women commuters have started guarding the coach, to fix rule breakers.”
But men feel that resorting to violence is not in good taste. Says Smitashish Sengupta, a student, “I have never understood women reservation in public transport. Seats should be reserved only for the aged, children, pregnant women and injured people. Why should a young women have a reserved facility when any an old man is standing? Also, most of the time the Metro is overcrowded. Sometimes, it’s a stampede-like situation in general coaches. We don’t mind reservation, but if they have allotted a coach for ladies, they should remove the reserved ladies seats in the general coach. Also, more Metro trains should be introduced.”
Agrees Abhishek Rana, an MBA student and feels that proper awareness about the ladies’ coach should be made. “They can start an ad campaign to sensitise commuters about travelling etiquette,” he adds.