Ticket examiner goes off the rails

Threatened to set himself afire and broke cabin glass; booked by GRP, RPF

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) have registered separate cases against a Travelling Ticket Examiner, Peer Meeran of Tiruchi, after he created a flutter here on Thursday by allegedly dousing himself with petrol and threatening his immediate superior and some senior colleagues, besides breaking a cabin glass at the TTE room here.

After conducting detailed inquiries and acting on a complaint preferred by a Chief Travelling Ticket Inspector of Tiruchi, the GPF here registered a case against Peer Meeran under various IPC Sections including 285 (Negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 506 (i) (criminal intimidation), besides under the Tamil Nadu Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act.

Peer Meeran, who sustained injuries in his hand, is undergoing treatment at the Mahatma Gandhi Government Hospital here as an in-patient.

Railway sources said the RPF, which also conducted inquiry into the incident that took place inside the TTE cabin room situated at Tiruchi railway junction on Thursday afternoon, booked a separate case against Peer Meeran. The case registered by the RPF is under various Sections of the Railways Act, including 164 (Unlawfully bringing dangerous goods on a railway) 146 (Obstructing railway servant in his duties) and 147 (Trespass and refusal to desist from trespass), said railway sources.

Railway Police said Peer Meeran on his own carried out duty on Karaikal-Ernakulam Express on Wednesday night although he was not allocated the task by his immediate superior in the train and returned to Tiruchi on Thursday. He went up to Erode and returned to Tiruchi on Thursday.

He came to the TTE room where he was reportedly questioned by his immediate superior about his act, leading to a verbal duel. Peer Meeran went out and returned with a bottle containing petrol and poured it on himself and threatened to set himself afire and his senior colleagues present inside the room, said the sources.

Railway Police said a separate case had been booked against three ticket checking officials on a complaint lodged by Peer Meeran, claiming that his senior colleagues had abused him.

The Commercial Department of the Tiruchi Railway Division would conduct a separate inquiry against Peer Meeran once he was discharged from the hospital.