Cops, media presence ruffle Shiv Sena MP's co-passengers in train

Benazir Khan, who was travelling with her kids, said that police presence in the compartment had alarmed her. Pic/Satej Shinde

Benazir Khan, who was travelling with her kids, said that police presence in the compartment had alarmed her. Pic/Satej Shinde

Ravindra Gaikwad appears to have a penchant for being a notorious traveller. After creating a ruckus on the Air India flight on Thursday, the Shiv Sena MP's presence on the A1 coach of the August Kranti Rajdhani Express didn't seem to go down well with passengers.

With mediapersons accosting him at every station, Gaikwad's co-passengers experienced a harrowing journey, which only ended when the Sena leader got off at Vapi station in Gujarat.

A passenger, who was seated near the leader, recalled that when the Sena MP boarded the train, he was relatively quiet. However, the passenger overheard the unrepentant Sena MP justify his actions to another co-passenger. "Inko aisa hi sabak sikhana chahiye (They should be taught a lesson in this fashion)," the Sena leader is claimed to have said. A female passenger, who was sleeping on the side berth next to Gaikwad, said, "I could not sleep the whole night because of all the noise."

Benazir Khan (25), who was travelling with her kids, admitted that she was alarmed by the police presence. "When policemen boarded the train, my kids Arhan (2) and Laiba (3) were playing. Arhan got scared after seeing the troop of policemen in the bogie," she said.

However, another passenger Saludhin Ansari said that the Sena MP wasn't unruly at all. Ansari said, "The Sena MP was all to himself. But, some fellow passengers were disturbed with the movement of media and police in the compartment," he added.