2 Guj residents arrested for assaulting lawyer on train

Palghar: The Palghar Government Railway Police (GRP) on Saturday arrested two Gujarat residents for allegedly outraging the modesty of and assaulting a female lawyer while travelling on board the Mumbai Central-Indore Avantika Express. The incident occurred after the Indore-bound train had passed Saphale and the accused were taken into custody when it reached Valsad station, said police officials.

According to the police, the 43-year-old lawyer, a Thane resident, was travelling in the train’s general compartment and was headed to Indore, where her son is enrolled in a residential school. An argument broke out between her and 41-year-old Rubina Yunus Pathan, a Surat resident and one of the arrested accused, after the latter commented on the lawyer’s necklace of beads and tattoo. Later, when the train was passing Saphale railway station, Rubina accused the lawyer of stealing her purse, which escalated the fight.

When the lawyer returned from the washroom, Rubina allegedly pulled down her trousers in front of multiple male co-passengers to search for her missing Aadhaar and PAN cards.

“When Rubina did not find the identity cards, she attacked the lawyer with a sharp object,” a police officer told HT.

Though Rubina aimed at the neck of the lawyer, she suffered a deep cut on her right arm as she tried to evade the attack and began bleeding profusely. Meanwhile, Rubina asked for help from other commuters, which prompted some male passengers to surround the lawyer and pull her hair. Imtehaj Abidbhai Odia, 28, a resident of Bhavnagar and the second arrested accused, threatened to pierce the lawyer’s neck with a key during the assault, said the officer quoted earlier.

“The two accused pushed the lawyer against the window and kept assaulting her, injuring her on the neck and lips. They also prevented other passengers from taking photographs or videos during the incident,” said the officer.

The accused called the GRP during the incident and complained about the lawyer, following which a GRP team intercepted the train at Valsad station and noticed the lawyer had a deep cut in her arm and was bleeding profusely. The police took the accused duo in custody and took them and the lawyer to Palghar after her wound was treated.

In Palghar, the lawyer submitted a complaint against Rubina and Imtehaj, accusing them of assaulting her, stealing ₹1,500 from her purse. She also stated that her gold golden ring had gone missing during the assault. The police subsequently registered a first information report based on her complaint and arrested the accused duo under relevant Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita sections, including section 74 (assault or use of criminal force to women), 118 (1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and 351 (2) (criminal intimidation punishment).