Mumbai: A special court in Maharashtra's Mumbai has sentenced a Mumbai train passenger to three years in jail for sexually assaulting a minor girl in a crowded local train. The 16-year-old victim is a Marathi serial actress. She had told the court that in 2019 when she was traveling by train from Goregaon to Thane with her friend after the shoot, the criminal had sexually assaulted her.
The girl was studying in Class 12 and also worked in Marathi serials. So, she would go to Goregaon for her shoot and then come back home by local train later in the evening. It is alleged that when the girl changed the train in the general compartment at Dadar railway station at around 8.30 pm, the criminal standing behind her first put his hand on her shoulder. When she started looking at him angrily, he sexually abused her. It is alleged that the girl then shouted and slapped the man. Then, the girl and her friend got down in Mulund itself. They handed over the culprit to the railway police. The police brought all of them back to Dadar station and an FIR was registered. Omhari Singh, a 32-year-old Thane resident, denied the allegations, saying there was a fight over why she boarded the general compartment when there were separate compartments for women.
However, Special Judge P P Bankar argued, "There is no doubt that there are separate coaches for women in the train, but definitely the entry of women in the general coach is not restricted and they can travel in the general coach like any other passenger." Additionally, at the relevant time, the victim was traveling with her male friend. If both of them have to travel together, the victim will have to travel in the general coach with her male friend. The criminal said that since the train was crowded and the person who committed the crime was standing behind the victim, there was no opportunity for him to see the culprit. Therefore, the identity of the culprit is wrong. The judge designated to hear cases under Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) said, ''The girl had turned and recognized him. Moreover, the further incident is very significant. I only caught him to hand over to the police." At the point of sentencing, the convict stated that he had a wife and two children, worked as a laborer, and had no criminal antecedents. However, the judge said, "The incident took place in a very congested area. The incident has a very adverse impact on the victim girl, her family members, and society. Such an incident creates anxiety in the minds of the people and shows That girls are not safe in society, even if they are surrounded by many people". The court sentenced the culprit to 3 years imprisonment.
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