The victim, an airport employee, says ticket checker at Andheri pulled him aside for not being fully vaccinated, and beat him despite being told that he was legally commuting with an essential services pass
Pratik Sen, the victim; (right) The injury Sen sustained on his neck while being dragged on the foot overbridge at Andheri station
An airport employee has accused a ticket checker (TC) at Andheri railway station of assaulting him, as he was not fully vaccinated. Pratik Sen said he told the TC that he was commuting legally using the pass issued for essential services staff, but he still pulled him aside and dragged him through the foot overbridge to his office. He sustained injuries to his neck during the process.
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Sen, who is part of the ground staff of the Mumbai International airport, also alleged that the TC demanded Rs 3,600 from him. His department, the Airport Ground Handling Service Provider, complained to the Railway Authority for necessary action against the TC and the constables. The GRP has received the complaint and has initiated an inquiry.
Sen’s ID and railway pass
Sen told mid-day, “On Saturday, I took a train from Bhayandar for my office and got down at Andheri around 8.22 pm. I was on the railway foot overbridge when a TC stopped me and asked for my pass. As I showed him my Universal Travel Pass (UTP), he asked whether I had taken the second COVID-19 vaccine dose. I told him I hadn’t, but my job came under the essential services category, hence I was allowed to travel using the government pass. My company had applied for my essential pass, and I had been travelling daily. But he said it was fake and told me that I needed to have taken both the doses. The TC was in plain clothes and accompanied by two police constables in uniforms.”
Extortion allegation
“The TC then started using foul language and said, ‘fake pass leke travel karta hai, chal office mein (you travel with fake pass, let’s go to office). He also started assaulting me. I immediately called up my senior, Aniruddha, who also explained the same to the TC. But, he demanded that I pay up R3,600 to be released, and threatened to put me behind bars if I didn’t. I still refused to pay, after which he checked my pockets and my wallet. As he didn’t find any money, he let me leave.”
The PR head of the airport ground staff, Aniruddha, told mid-day, “When Pratik called me, I spoke with the TC and told him to not beat him. To which, he responded, ‘don’t teach us’. Even the two constables didn’t help him knowing that he was right.” He said, “BMC’s K East Ward had approved 1,347 UTPs for our employees and Pratik was one of them.”
‘Many others assaulted’
“Several other of our employees have complained about being harassed and assaulted by a TC at Andheri railway station over the past few days. This is extortion from helpless commuters with the help of uniformed cops,” Aniruddha said. “I submitted a written complaint to the Western Railway senior officials and Government Railway Police (GPR) to initiate legal action against this culprit,” he added.
Senior Inspector Dattatray Nikam of Andheri GRP said, “We will register the complaint after taking the statement of the victim, and will take necessary action against those involved in this matter.”
Western Railway chief PRO Sumit Thakur said, “People working under essential services are allowed to travel in local trains. They were also provided with a Universal Travel Pass. It’s not necessary for them to have taken both the vaccine doses. We are allowing them to travel under essential services.”
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