MP: Family from Gujarat assaulted in moving train, incident sparks communal tension

Several members of a family from Dahod in Gujarat were allegedly assaulted inside a moving mainline electric multiple unit (MEMU) train between Ratlam and Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh after they opposed alleged sexual harassment of women members of the family.A video of the assault has surfaced, reportedly recorded a passenger during the incident. (File Photo)The confrontation soon escalated into a scuffle with men from the Muslim community on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.The incident led to communal tension in Nagda town of Ujjain drict in Madhya Pradesh, where large groups from both Hindu and Muslim communities gathered at the railway station to stage protests. Police used mild force to disperse the crowd.The Government Railway Police (GRP) in Nagda regered two FIRs — one against the family from Gujarat and another against the Muslim men from Nagda — for creating a ruckus and physically assaulting each other. Investigations into the allegations of sexual harassment are also underway.“Fifteen people of the family were travelling to Ujjain to immerse the ashes of a departed member. According to their complaint, some men boarded the train at Ratlam station, smoked inside the compartment and harassed the women. When the family objected to this behaviour, the men began hurling abuses, which led to a scuffle. Later, around 50 men boarded the train at Nagda and attacked the family,” Ujjain superintendent of police Pradeep Sharma said.While the GRP lodged a complaint against the Muslim men, members of the community also filed a complaint against the family from Gujarat, alleging that they had assaulted the youths inside the train without provocation.A video of the assault has surfaced, reportedly recorded a passenger during the incident, wherein the six-second clip showed people being assaulted with belts and fs amid chaos and screams inside the train compartment.