Battle of Sex, story of a special train, by Debsuddha Banerjee

Birati, Kolkata, India - 19th August 2015. A mass gathered infront of the train and stopped it as an act of vengeance. — Birati, Kolkata, India – 19th August 2015. A mass gathered infront of the train and stopped it as an act of vengeance.

Battle of Sex, photo essay by Debsuddha Banerjee

Indian railways, specially the local train that connects the urban region with the city, plays a very much important role in our daily life, mostly for the common people. Day by day the over growing population is the evidence of this account. During rush hour the common people faces a mass gathering that is really intolerable especially for the woman,but people get used to of it. To get rid off this suffocating as well as hectic journey, few years ago the present chief minister of west bengal introduced a ladies special train,namely “Matribhumi local” for the women passengers only in each and every railway divison of west bengal that is Howrah divison, Sealdah-south, Sealdah main and Sealdah – bangaon division. These special trains are scheduled for rush hour only. Male passengers cannot avail that, if so that would be a punishable offence. Influence of woman empowerment propagates the number of woman worker which is a positive side of a society, is nothing new, but the thing is that the number of female passengers with respect to male passengers are much more less during office hours. As a result the next trains after ladies special become tremendously suffocating, pathetic as well,hard to put any part of the body,but as the office workers have to report their into the scheduled time, they have to board the train in any way like a cotton stuff of toy. Sometime few accidents took place also.

Birati, Kolkata, India - 19th August 2015. Women were lodging their greivances to the local media person. — Birati, Kolkata, India – 19th August 2015. Women were lodging their grievance to the local media person.

Birati, Kolkata, India - 19th August 2015. People, waiting for the next train, joined with the co-male passengers of ladies special train and were rising their voice with slogans. — People, waiting for the next train, joined with the co-male passengers of ladies special train and were rising their voice with slogans.

Birati, Kolkata, India - 19th August 2015. After few hours control of the entire platform area undertaken by police force. — After few hours control of the entire platform area undertaken by police force.

Birati, Kolkata, India - 19th August 2015. Boys under 18 years didn't heasitate to join the mass. — Boys under 18 years didn’t hesitate to join the mass.

After so many months of introduction of this Matribhumi local people started to avail the ladies special to avoid that gasping situation and day by day it was increasing which was becoming intolerable for the ladies passengers, but never take the figure of general compartment. Intolerance provokes to complain against them at the railway police force. For the time being the situation was under control but school and college students continues as before and sometime senior citizens too.
One fine day on Sealdah-bangaon division a 13 years old school boy who was going to school with his grandfather, had thrown away by a 34 years old lady from the Matribhumi local,the ladies special train, when they tried to board the train. Even that elderly man was kicked out of the train. Few weeks ago before this incident in Howrah division a young guy who had availed the ladies special was kicked out from the running train as he was unable to manage to pay mulct charged by the railway police force. Some cases like these took place on another railway division of west bengal also. As a result the intolerance burst out as a grudge and the battle of sex took place.

Here in this photo story I could freeze the incident of Birati, the station under Sealdah bangaon railway division. (Debsuddha Banerjee)