22 September,2024 10:12 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Representational Pic/File
A Ticket Collector (TC) with Western Railway in Mumbai has been suspended after an audio recording, in which he made derogatory comments about communities, went viral on social media, the officials said on Sunday.
In an official statement posted on X, the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Mumbai Central, Western Railway, stated that the incident is being taken very seriously. The statement confirmed that the staff member has been suspended pending an investigation.
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The DRM Mumbai Central of Western Railway further said that the importance of accountability and stated that a thorough investigation will be conducted. Appropriate actions will be taken based on the findings to maintain the standards and integrity of railway services, the official statement said.
TC injured after being assaulted by passenger with hockey stick in Nalasopara, one booked
Meanwhile, in an another incident, a 29-year-old TC of Western Railway was allegedly assaulted by a passenger with a hockey stick after he issued a fine, the officials said on Friday.
The TC, identified as Vijay Kumar Pandit, reported that this incident is the second of its kind involving railway staff being attacked by passengers.
In his statement to the Government Railway Police (GRP), Pandit mentioned that he has been working as a ticket checker at Nalasopara railway station for the past 10 months. He recounted that on September 19, at around 7:13 am, he was checking tickets of passengers disembarking from the local first-class coach near the station master's office on platform number 1.
Pandit stated, "A passenger got off from the first-class coach, and when I requested him to show his train ticket, he presented a second-class ticket from Goregaon to Nalasopara."
"I informed him that since he had alighted from the first-class coach, his ticket was invalid. Therefore, he would need to pay a fine of 345 rupees for traveling in first class without a valid ticket. He replied that he only had 210 rupees and asked if the fine could be reduced. Taking pity on him, I decided to charge him only 150 rupees and advised him not to travel in first class again," he said.
After this interaction, the passenger left, and Pandit resumed checking tickets of other first-class passengers arriving on another train. As he was heading to the ticket checker's office, the same passenger suddenly approached him from behind and began attacking him with a hockey stick. Pandit reported that he started bleeding from behind his ear, and the assailant fled the scene. His colleagues later took him to Riddhi Vinayak Hospital in Nalasopara West for initial treatment, after which he was referred to Jagjivan Ram Hospital in Mumbai Central East for further care.
Based on Pandit's statement, the Vasai railway police have filed a case against the unidentified passenger under sections 121(2) and 132 of the Indian Penal Code, and a search for the assailant has begun, an official said.
