'I Was Shocked & Hurt': Delhi Vlogger Alleges Molestation By RPF Officer On Train

New Delhi: A travel agent and vlogger based in Delhi has alleged that he was molested by a Railway Protection Force (RPF) officer while travelling from Guwahati to Rangapara North Junction in Assam on the Donyi Polo Express train's sleeper coach. The incident occurred on April 25, and it gained attention after Deepak Samal shared details of the incident in a video posted on Instagram, as per a

Money Control report.

Speaking to Moneycontrol regarding the incident, the 30-year-old resident of Rohini explained, "It occurred in the middle of the night. I was asleep on the lower berth when someone shone a torchlight on my face. I woke up to find a muscular man in uniform looking down at me, and I assumed he was an RPF officer conducting a standard cheque. He proceeded to ask me several questions about my identity, occupation, and destination. While I was taken aback by the situation, I presumed these enquiries were part of routine protocol."

Following this, the officer proceeded to sit on Samal's berth. "I had placed my backpack on the berth, leaving very little space, but he still sat down near my legs. Assuming he was tired and considering his position as an officer, I didn't dwell on it much and returned to sleep," he said.

But Samal woke up again after he felt someone elbow his private parts. "It was the RPF officer. Confused and disoriented, I thought maybe he did it by mistake, and I tried to go back to sleep." (sic.)

Shortly afterwards, however, Samal felt someone grab his private parts. Startled, he woke up to find the same officer. "What do you think you're doing?" he shouted. According to him, the man in uniform simply responded with "time-pass" before swiftly leaving the coach.

"At that point, I was hurt and shocked and wasn't sure of what to do. My station Rangapara was also about to arrive in some time. I got off the train and shot the video where I spoke about the incident but did not share it immediately," (sic.) he said. When questioned about whether he contemplated filing a complaint at Rangapara station, he admitted considering it but ultimately chose against it due to the long journey ahead and the inability to afford any delays.

"But I shared the video on Instagram after a few days and so many people have reached out to me with similar experiences," (sic.) he said.

Samal has now lodged a complaint with Railway Madad, the official grievance redressal mechanism of Indian Railways. As he awaits an investigation into the matter by the relevant authorities, the vlogger acknowledged certain limitations that could potentially impact the probe. Firstly, he admitted to his inability to accurately identify whether the individual in question was an RPF officer or a home guard. Additionally, he was unable to notice the alleged perpetrator's face or name tag.

Samal explained that he wears high-powered glasses and, at the time of the incident, he had just woken up, so he was feeling drowsy and not wearing his spectacles. Moreover, the coach was dimly lit, making it difficult for him to see the man's face clearly. Additionally, he questioned how ordinary railway passengers are expected to differentiate between RPF officers and home guards, noting that they typically assume RPF officers conduct nighttime patrols on trains.

In response to the incident, Sabyasachi Dae, the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the Northeast Frontier Railway, informed Moneycontrol that authorities are currently investigating the case. Due to the delay in reporting, which occurred a few days after the incident, the probe is expected to take some time. "I urge passengers to report any grievance they experience immediately using the Railway Madad app and it will be investigated immediately," he said. "I also laud Samal for coming forward and filing the complaint. It will take some time for the authorities to look into the matter since it has already been more than a week since the incident but action will be taken," he said. (sic.)