The alertness of a Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable, K.Shivaji, saved a woman from being raped on a local train in Chennai between the Park Town station and Chintadripet station.

The woman was 25 years of age and was travelling alone in the ladies compartment of MRTS train when she was nearly saved from being raped by an alcoholic man at around 11.45 pm on Monday.

The constable heard screams from the ladies compartment and jumped out of the moving train. He got into the ladies compartment and rescued her as the train halted at Park Town railway station. He quickly overpowered the assaulter and found the woman to be unconscious and bleeding from the mouth. He rushed her to the hospital where she was given first aid.  

Shivaji told the The New Indian Express, “The victim had boarded the train at Velachery around 11.30pm. I along with two other policemen were checking all compartments when I spotted the victim reading a newspaper in a women’s compartment. I asked her to shift to the ladies compartment in the front, but she insisted on staying back. So I went patrolling. As the train left Chintadripet station, I heard screams.”

“As the train was slowing down at Park station, I jumped off and rushed to the compartment, where I found the woman on the train floor partially unconscious and the man trying to force himself on her,” he continued.

The attacker has been identified as 26-year-old ‘Sathyaraj’ who works as a private security guard. The woman was returning from work when he attempted rape on her. She hails from a poor family.

According to The News Minute, the woman, the only passenger in the ladies compartment, had fallen asleep when she woke up to the man trying to molest her. The assaulter then pushed her to the ground which made her lose consciousness. The police said that they had recorded the statement of the woman who is grateful to the constable for saving her life.

The police have announced Rs 5000 reward for Shivaji for his brave act. The Logical Indian community appreciates the courage shown by the RPF constable. Amidst all the incidents of rapes, it is heartening that there are citizens like Shivaji who rescued a woman being raped and later took her to the hospital.