Lucknow, (Samajweekly) In two separate incidents that took place, passengers witnessed high drama in moving trains.
In the first incident on Tuesday, a train ticket examiner (TTE) was seen acting inappropriately, shoving and intimidating passengers on the train floor, in a video that went viral on social media on Tuesday evening.
In the video, a ticketless passenger allegedly confronted TTE for his misbehaviour.
The TTE threatened to slap him and grabbed his shirt.
It was not clear, exactly on which train or when the incident took place, but the probe was immediately called by DRM Prayagraj, the Railway Protection Force of NCR and GRP of Agra division.
In the second incident, a TTE was allegedly assaulted by policemen inside an AC coach of Jammu-bound Archana Express on Tuesday afternoon, after the TTE asked a police officer, travelling in civil uniform, from Varanasi to either buy ticket of AC coach or disembark from the train.
Sandeep Singh, who is a chief ticket inspector (CTI), said, “I was assaulted inside the A2 (AC2) coach after the train reached Pratapgarh railway station at around 3.30 p.m.”
He added, “I was checking tickets of the passenger, when I came across a ticketless passenger inside the A2 coach. I asked him to pay for the ticket and the passenger replied that he is a constable. I again asked him to either pay for the ticket or alight from the train following which he engaged in a heated argument and threatened me with dire consequences once the train reached Pratapgarh. The passenger was travelling from Varanasi junction.”
“Meanwhile I received a distress emergency call from a 77-year-old woman passenger who was unwell. I left the ticketless passenger and went to attend the woman. I alerted Pratapgarh station to be on standby for a patient. I was with the woman passenger till the train reached Pratapgarh. As soon as the train halted, some men in uniform boarded A2 coach and came towards me along with the ticketless cop. After a brief talk which lasted less than 30 seconds, they started assaulting me. The train passengers were witnesses of the attack,” he said.
He alleged that the train which has five-minute halt at Pratapgarh did not receive green signal until the unruly police officer alighted from the train.
After the incident, Sandeep made a distress call to railways control, following which policemen from GRP and RPF came to take his statement at the Amethi railway station.
“I’ll identify the cops if they are paraded in front of me for identification,” said Sandeep.
Sanjeev Kumar Sinha, the circle officer of Lucknow division GRP, said, “By the time SHO, GRP, Pratapgarh, could reach A2 coach, the train had departed. Prima facie it has been found that TTE was indeed assaulted. I have instructed GRP Lucknow to lodge an FIR as soon as they receive a copy of the written complaint from Sandeep Singh.”
“If the involvement of GRP is found in the incident, then no cop would be spared,” Sinha added.
CPRO, NER, Pankaj Kumar said, “Considering such unruly behaviour of policemen who travel without ticket in trains and then misbehave with TTE, we have written to GRP to take appropriate against all cops whether civil police or railway police in case they don’t follow railway rules while travelling in train.”
