Varkala Train Attack Exposes Indian Railways’ Failing Security for Women

Even as Indian Railways claims to have enhanced security, the recent incident near Varkala shows that women travelers are still not safe.On Sunday (November 2, 2025) night around 8 PM, Suresh Sreekuttan (aka Sonu) from Palode, Thiruvananthapuram, pushed a 20 year old woman from the general compartment of the Kerala Express.

The attack occurred near the train’s restroom, and the man also attempted to harm her friend, Archana. Passengers intervened, preventing Archana from further violence. After the train started moving again, Sreekutty (the woman who got attacked) and Archana went to the toilet. Sreekutty was waiting for Archana near the door. 

Coming back from the toilet, Archana saw Sreekuttan stomping on Sreekutty near the door. She tried to intervene but was grabbed and nearly thrown out herself before passengers restrained the attacker.

Railway police took Suresh into custody at Kochuveli. The injured girl was found unconscious near Ayanthipalayam, initially admitted to Varkala Sree Narayana Medical Mission Hospital, and later transferred to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital due to severe internal injuries.

Archana confirmed to police that they did not know the accused. Authorities noted that the passengers’ quick response likely prevented further attacks. The girl’s condition remains critical with internal injuries.

A Crime Similar to What My Daughter Faced: Soumya’s Mother Sumathi

Sumathi, mother of Soumya, told the media that the assault a young woman faced on a train near Varkala on Sunday night was a cruel act similar to what her daughter Soumya experienced at the hands of Govindachami.  

When Soumya was killed, compartments were inspected for a few days, but that was all just a token effort. There is no real security in either ladies’ or general compartments. What happened to Soumya should not happen to anyone else. Officials and authorities must take concrete action now, Sumathi said.

Sumathi, soumya's mother

The date February 1, 2011, and the name Soumya will not be forgotten by Malayalis. Soumya, a textile worker, was brutally attacked and murdered by Govindachami during a train journey. The attack took place as she was returning home from work. Soumya was travelling in the women’s compartment of a passenger train from Ernakulam to Shornur.

Govindachami brutally attacked Soumya by forcibly entering an empty train compartment. Soumya, who was seriously injured in the attack, died on February 8 at Thrissur Medical College.

Govindachamy

With no eyewitnesses present, the trial was completed based on witness statements and circumstantial evidence.

Even 14 years after the tragic incident, fear among passengers has not subsided. Following the Supreme Court verdict in the Soumya case, discussions about the lack of safety for women on trains resurfaced.

Elderly Woman Pushed During Attempted Theft

Looking at cases from 2025 alone, on August 8, an elderly woman was pushed off a train during an attempted theft. She fell onto the tracks near the Vattampoil railway gate, about one kilometer south of Kozhikode station.

Ammini

The incident occurred on the Chandigarh–Kochuveli Kerala Sampark Kranti Express when the woman tried to prevent the theft attempt. She landed on the stone sleepers between two tracks and sustained serious head injuries. The accused in this case was later arrested.

Brutality on a Moving Train Against a Pregnant Woman

In February, another horrific incident occurred in India due to security lapses, this time in a women’s compartment. On February 7, a four-month pregnant woman was thrown out of a train after she resisted an attempted assault.

The woman, an employee of a textile company, had boarded the train from Tiruppur. As other passengers disembarked at subsequent stations, she was left alone in the women’s compartment. The accused, Hemaraj, took advantage of this and grabbed her.

When he realised he could not succeed, he forcibly pulled her by her hair and threw her out of the moving train. The incident caused the loss of her pregnancy. Hemaraj was later arrested, and the Tiruppur court sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Loss of Vision and Paralysis; Silent Railway After the Incident

In August 2013, MBA student Disha Divakaran from Kakkur, Kozhikode, fell onto the railway tracks at Muriyad while returning home from Ernakulam and sustained severe injuries. No proper investigation was conducted.

Disha Divakaran

Disha became a victim while preventing an attempted theft on the train. Hearing someone knocking on the toilet door, she stepped out, and a thief demanded her bag. When she refused, he pushed her off the train.

Local residents later found her and admitted her to the hospital. The fall resulted in complete loss of vision in her left eye, and her right eye also got affected. Her left side, including her arms and legs, became paralyzed as a result of the incident.

Empty Security Promises

After the brutal attack on Soumya, Indian Railways had promised that all women’s compartments would be staffed with female RPF constables. However, many trains currently lack even male constables. Although the Railway insists that all trains running after 6 PM should have four male and two female constables, this rule is often not implemented.

MEMU, passenger, and intercity trains often have two women’s compartments, but most of them are without female constables. Even at RPF stations, female constables are not deployed as needed.

Despite frequent attacks on women in trains, Railways has done little to strengthen security. In long-distance trains, the general coaches are particularly vulnerable.

On many days, general coaches are overcrowded, leaving no space for passengers to move. Security staff are insufficiently deployed, and even sleeper coaches are equally unprotected in crowded conditions. Even in ladies’ coaches, attackers have been known to enter freely.

As part of rapid privatisation, staff numbers are being cut. Although the union government had announced CCTV installation in trains, this has also largely not materialised.

Railway Vacancies; Central Government’s Evasion

The union government has avoided providing data regarding vacancies and new positions in Railways. It has not disclosed the number of unfilled posts in zones and divisions, nor the annual recruitment data for the past five years. Instead, in response to a question by MP V. Shivadasan in July, the government only provided the number of exam applicants. The MP noted that this evasion is a blatant violation of parliamentary democratic norms.

The high number of applicants underscores the severe employment crisis in the country. For example, 4,203 constable posts received 4.53 million applications, and 18,799 assistant loco pilot posts received 1.84 million applications. Railways have often cut posts and delayed recruitment, while the union government tries to keep these gaps hidden from the public, Shivadasan said.

Minimal Security; Reduced Workforce

As part of accelerated privation, the Southern Railway has reduced staff in the maintenance and operational departments under the Thiruvananthapuram division. Excluding the commercial department, there are 8,761 positions, of which 1,407 are vacant. Vacancies include 18 in security, 225 in loco pilots, pointsmen, and station masters, 492 in engineering, 418 in mechanical, and 254 in electrical departments. No action has been taken to fill these posts. This severely compromises passenger safety.

Image courtesy: The Asian Age

Historically, the ‘core’ areas—security, operations, and maintenance—were not subject to privatization. After the Modi government took power, this policy was changed, and privatization intensified post-2024. Even after projects are completed, staffing remains inadequate. For example, in the Thiruvananthapuram division, despite the doubling of the Nagarcoil–Tirunelveli and Ernakulam–Kayamkulam lines, the required trackmen have not been recruited, nor have posts been created for them.

According to Southern Railway Employees’ Union (DREU) leaders, each railway zone has a fixed quota for reducing staff. In the commercial department alone, 2% of employees are cut annually. Even after modern signaling systems are installed on the Shornur–Ernakulam route, senior officials are unsure how maintenance and operational work will be handled. Divisional branch managers struggle to complete tasks properly with the current workforce.