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New Delhi: Indian Railways, no doubt, has always been concerned about the safety of railway passengers during their journey and even at the stations. However, two incidents this week have raised serious questions on whether some of these safety initiatives are actually being implemented by the Ministry.
The first shocker was in Saptkranti Express Monday evening when a travelling ticket examiner (TTE), identified as Anjani Kumar (53), was allegedly stabbed by two ticketless passengers when they were asked to show their tickets, reported Hindustan Times.
The incident happened a few kilometeres away from Gorakhpur junction and the TTE was immediately shifted to nearby Narayan Railway Hospital with severe injuries in his stomach.
GRP Inspector Ajeet Kumar Singh informed that no FIR has been filed so far, however, police have initiated an investigation to arrest the absconding assailants.
In another incident, at least seven to ten unidentified assailants barged into the Jammu-Delhi Duronto Express in the wee hours of Thursday when it stopped due to a signal problem, a passenger said, with the Railways saying they have some lead in the case.
In the complaint, the passenger who was travelling from Jammu to Delhi, said the incident took place at around 3.30 AM and the train attendant, the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) and the security personnel were not available at the time of the incident.
"Today at 3.30 a.m., the train stopped somewhere due to (a) signal problem. Some five unidentified culprits entered coaches B3 and B7. They put their knife on the neck of other passengers and asked them to provide whatever expensive items they were carrying. They took their purses, cash, carry bags, gold chain and other things. The incident happened within 10 to 15 minutes. The irony was that neither staff nor security personnel were available at the time of the mishap," the passenger said in his complaint.
Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Northern Railways, Deepak Kumar, said they will take stern actions. "The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has some initial lead in this case... We will be able to catch the culprits soon," he said.
[With Agency Inputs]
