Sleeper berth of the train Photo: VCG

An incident of public indecency aboard a train departing from Beijing on Saturday sparked widespread outrage following the circulation of a video showing a male passenger sleeping naked in the presence of a female traveler. 

After the incident, the man was placed under administrative detention for five days for intentionally exposing himself in a public place, local railway police department reported on June 16.

The incident occurred around midnight on June 15 on a train from Beijing to Hefei, East China's Anhui Province. A 42-year-old male passenger, surnamed Lü, reportedly drunk, was discovered naked on his bunk in the sleeper berth of the train. 

Alerted by the disturbing sight, a female passenger in the same carriage, surnamed Guo, promptly reported the case to train conductors, who acted swiftly to address the situation, according to local reports.

Guo told local media outlets that she was using her phone when she sensed something was wrong. She saw a man completely naked on the bunk opposite her, making deliberate movements to catch her attention. 

"He sat up to drink water twice and deliberately made a loud noise," Guo recalled.

Guo discreetly captured evidence on her phone and immediately notified the train conductors. By the time they arrived, Lü had already dressed himself and claimed to have lost memory of his actions due to alcohol. The conductor moved Guo to a different bunk and reprimanded Lü for his misbehavior, according to media reports.

The incident stirred public debate on social media, with many netizens calling for enhanced safety measures on trains, such as gender-segregated carriages, or the installation of privacy curtains for each bunk.

A spokesperson for the rail customer service hotline told local media that they acknowledged the public concern and emphasized the importance of passengers promptly seeking assistance from train conductors and reporting such incidents for immediate intervention.

"We have received similar suggestions from passengers in the past, which we have forwarded to relevant authorities for consideration," the spokesperson said.

Global Times