UP girls board train to escape stalkers, travel 140 km before guard rescues them

New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) A freight train guard emerged as saviour for two girls who boarded a train at Hathras station to escape from some stalkers and reached Etawah, about 140 km away from their city in Uttar Pradesh.

A railway official said that the guard (also known as train manager), Ravineet Arya, was on his way to sign on for his duty at Etawah station at around 11 pm on August 3 when he spotted the two girls sitting at one end of the platform bench in a distressed condition.

“Arya asked them if they needed any help. They told him that they were the residents of Hathras and were returning from a tuition centre when some anti-social elements started stalking them,” the official said.

He added, “They got very scared and finding Hathras station nearby they hurriedly entered the station and got into a train to hide themselves. The train departed within a few minutes.” According to railway sources, the girls contacted their families through their mobile phones from the moving train but the family members were also clueless how to handle the situation and where to ask them to get off.

“Though the train stopped at small stations, they didn’t disembark because some passengers who were sympathetic to the girls advised them to get off at Etawah which is a big station having better passenger amenities and help,” another railway official said.

He added, “After getting off at Etawah junction, they were scared to talk to anyone and sat on a platform bench completely lost when the train guard noticed them.” The officials said that the guard took them to the station superintendent who further involved the railway police and the child welfare committee (CWC) to speak to their families and help them reunite.

“One of the two girls was minor so we involved the CWC to take care of her till the family arrived. They were from two different families which drove from Hathras to Etawah to take them back safely,” the official said, showering praise on train manager Arya, who belongs to Tundla headquarters, for his quick intervention in the matter. PTI