Female loco pilots wear black armband to mourn Malda driver's run over, demand washroom in engines

New Delhi: The female loco pilots from various rail divisions across the country have been attending duty since last week wearing black armbands to mourn the run over of a female assistant driver in Malda rail division when she was crossing the track to return to the engine after a 'washroom break'.

Besides, they have also been raising the issue of lack of washroom facilities inside the engine because of which loco pilots, especially females, have to face several challenges in answering nature’s call.

“We started it last week and plan to continue it till this weekend after which we have decided to give a memorandum to the Railway Ministry in support of our demands,” Sakshi Kumari, a female assistant loco pilot from Delhi division, told PTI.

Besides Malda, divisions such as Pune, Nagpur, Jabalpur, Ghaziabad, Delhi, Prayagraj and Danapur among others witnessed all loco pilots coming on duty and driving trains tying black armbands.

“They all mourned the tragic runover of assistant loco pilot Maharani Kumari, who went for a washroom break on February 12, 2025 in the Mahipal Road railway station building in Malda division. While returning to the engine, she couldn't see a speeding Nabadwip Dham Express due to curvature and came under it,” said a female loco pilot from the Eastern Railway zone.

There are around 2,000 female loco pilots in the Indian Railways who have been demanding various facilities for their safety. According to the Railway Ministry, many engines have already been upgraded with washroom facilities and the work is going on to cover all the locomotives.

However, the protesting female loco pilots said that the Malda incident highlighted the stark reality of the working conditions of female loco pilots in the Indian Railways.

“Despite tall claims of the rail administration, even today, female loco pilots who are in train operation have to wait for the dark to answer nature’s call alongside the rail track,” a female loco pilot said.

“Washroom facility is not the only problem, which is plaguing our working condition. The administration is only doing lip service. Female frontline workers are demanding pick-up and drop facilities for late night or early morning shifts, leaves during early days of pregnancy when chances of miscarriage are quite high, washroom and lunch break during duty among other things,” she added.

The female loco pilots said that many of them are facing lots of health issues, multiple miscarriages and injuries due to women unfriendly nature of the job.

“We hope that our protest might awaken the consciousness of the officials,” said another female loco pilot.