Dhanbad rail division manager M. K. Akhauri has admitted there were no police escorts on Anand Vihar Howrah Superfast Express early on Monday when a 53-year-old woman from Calcutta, sleeping with the strap of her bag wound around her hand for safety, was dragged out of her berth and thrown off the train by a ferocious robber.

So how safe is travelling on South Eastern Railway's Chakradharpur division that starts from Tatanagar and ends at Jharsuguda, covering 30 stations?

RPF and GRP records suggest that no robbery or attempted robbery took place in the division, but officials admit there are several vulnerable sections.

Sources claimed two stretches, one between Adityapur and Kandra stations (13km), barely 10km from Tatanagar, and another between Chakradharpur and Rourkela (100km), are considered unsafe. "A few cases of passengers losing their luggage and cellphones have been reported in both stretches in the last two months," said S.N. Jha, GRP officer-in-charge.

SP of railway police (Tatanagar) Mritunjay Kishore, who is in charge of Tatanagar, Ranchi, Muri and Bokaro (not Dhanbad) said that they provide escorts in all major trains of the division.

"The armed escort team comprises 12-15 personnel of RPF and Railway Protection Security Force (RPSF). They are equipped with walkie-talkies and each is headed by an in-charge. They conduct end-to-end patrolling of trains and acts whenever there is a problem. They communicate with each other on a regular basis," he said.

Kishore said they would step up security on trains in view of the coming festive season.

"Chakradharpur division is comparatively safe as no big incidents of robbery have taken place in the last few years. We ensure proper escorts on trains. The escort team also co-ordinates with the local GRP," said Satyam Prakash, senior divisional commercial manager of Chakradharpur.

He urged passengers to call helpline 182 in case of emergencies. "The moment a passenger in trouble gives a call at 182, the call is routed to security control in Chakradharpur which immediately acts," he added.

Krishna Das, a 53--year-old homemaker from Calcutta, knows she is lucky to be alive after having been thrown off the Anand Vihar express and landing hard beside the tracks. Had it not been for her fellow passengers, who pulled the chain to stop the train and then carried her back on the train, she would not have been saved.

Das has needed stitches to close a gash on her head and injured her right hand and left eye. "These injuries will heal but I will probably never recover from the trauma," she said.

Do you feel safe while travelling in trains? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com