Passengers assault TTEs as woman jumps off train

Bagnan railway station ransacked; two EMUs cancelled

Agitated passengers ransacked the Bagnan railway station in Howrah district and assaulted train ticket examiners (TTEs) on Saturday after a woman fell on the track a few metres before the railway station.

While the passengers claimed that the woman was thrown off a moving train by the TTEs, South Eastern Railway, under whose jurisdiction the incident occurred, denied the report. Train services were disrupted for an hour because of the protest.

“It appears that the lady passenger was travelling without a ticket and jumped out of the running train to avoid being caught by a lady TTE, who was checking tickets in the same coach,” a statement issued by South Eastern Railway said.

Second incident

The development comes a day after a woman was injured after she was allegedly pushed out of a train at Eklakhi station in Malda district.

Following the incident, a group stormed the station in Malda on Friday and roughed up many TTEs, even as the accused TTE managed to flee.

Railway officials denied that the woman was pushed out and claimed that she jumped out of the train following a special raid by TTEs.

“A complaint has been filed at Malda town GRP station based on the allegation of the woman that she was pushed out of the train. We have sought to know who the TTE was on board the train when the incident occurred,” Krishana Gopal Dutta, in-charge of the station, told The Hindu over phone.

Meanwhile, South Eastern Railway officials said the mob ransacked parts of Bagnan railway station and resorted to stone-pelting in which a glass window of an AC coach of Howrah-bound Sathya Sai Prasanthi Nilayam Express was broken.

At least, three TTEs - two of Howrah-Midnapur EMU local from which the passenger fell down, and another of Sathya Sai Prasanthi Nilayam Express - were assaulted.

“There was an agitation and all movements – both UP & DN – were stopped by placing sleepers on the tracks from 14:20 hours onwards. The agitation was withdrawn at 15:35 hours with the intervention of GRP personnel and local police, and train services in Howrah-Kharagpur section resumed thereafter,” the statement said.

While three express and mail trains and a pair of EMU locals were delayed because of the protest, a pair of EMU trains between Howrah and Panskura was cancelled.

Senior railway officials described the incident unfortunate and said a probe into the incident was initiated.

However, they pointed out that prima facie the TTEs were not at fault in the incident at Bagnan.