'All I did was confront him': Woman loses arm after alleged molestation at Maharashtra’s Naigaon station

Naigaon: A confrontation over alleged molestation inside a Mumbai local train ended in devastating consequences for a 20-year-old woman, who lost her left arm after she was allegedly pushed onto the tracks at Naigaon railway station.

The 53-year-old man accused of assaulting her has been arrested, with police adding an attempted murder charge to the case.

The incident took place on the evening of November 4, when the woman was travelling from Borivali towards Virar in a local train.

According to the police investigation, the accused, identified as Jitendra Girjappa Hirmukhe, allegedly touched her inappropriately inside the specially-abled compartment.

The woman reportedly confronted him, triggering an argument between the two.

During the altercation, she allegedly threw her slipper at the accused. The confrontation subsequently turned violent, with the man allegedly pushing her off the train at Naigaon station.

The woman fell into the gap between the train and the platform. As the train began moving, its wheels crushed her left arm, leaving doctors with no option but to amputate it below the elbow. She also sustained a severe head injury and required 16 stitches.

The incident has left the young woman grappling with life-altering physical injuries. She was admitted to Cooper Hospital, where she is undergoing treatment.

Reports said she was the sole earner of her family and has appealed for justice.

Meanwhile, the Bhayandar Government Railway Police (GRP) launched an investigation and examined CCTV footage from the railway station.

The footage allegedly helped investigators identify the accused, who was seen leaving the station with a cloth covering his face.

Hirmukhe was arrested on November 9 and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.

Police initially registered a case under Sections 74 and 117(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), among other provisions. Section 109 of the BNS, which deals with attempted murder, was later added as investigators examined the gravity of the assault.

The case has once again drawn attention to the safety of women travelling on Mumbai's suburban railway network, with the alleged assault leaving a young passenger facing the consequences of a violent confrontation that has permanently altered her life.