Mumbai: A city court on Wednesday dismissed the case against four Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel posted at Bandra Terminus for extortion by charging for allotting seats in trains. The court said demanding an extra amount for seats in the general (unreserved) compartment doesn’t fall under IPC section 384 (extortion).
The case was filed by Baldev Chauhan, a passenger who was allegedly asked to pay for seats in the general compartment by the RPF personnel. As per the complaint lodged by Mr. Chauhan, he had come to Bandra Terminus with on July 8 with his parents, sister and three children at around 8 p.m and purchased platform tickets for himself and his mother, and general tickets for the Arvalli Express for the others.
While they were waiting for the train, they were approached by a duo in their mid-twenties, who claimed to be RPF personnel and said they would have to pay ₹100 per head if they wanted seats in the general compartment. In their report, the GRP alleged that Mr. Chauhan called the police control room on 100 and then the RPF helpline 182 and complained. Before RPF personnel could reach the platform, both individuals fled. “Instead of apprehending the duo, RPF personnel brought Mr. Chauhan to the chowky and assaulted him,” the report states.
A senior RPF officer, who declined to be named, said CCTV footage was checked thoroughly and nothing objectionable was found. He also said RPF personnel had not demanded money from the passengers against seats. “This is wrongful confinement by the GRP to malign the image of RPF. The court order to remove the extortion section proves this,” he said. The GRP booked constables Mukesh Kumar and Shrikant Yadav under IPC sections 384, 342, 323, of which the court has asked the first be removed. The duo was arrested.
The order by Magistrate P.B. Lokhande, 36th court, Mumbai Central, states that the complainant’s FIR doesn’t mention that he was threatened or feared injury, which made him pay ₹500 extra for seats in the general compartment. It said according to the FIR, the complainant had bought general tickets for the Aravalli Express, and the accused demanded ₹100 for each seat. Under these circumstances, the order said, IPC section 384 (extortion) is not applicable.
