Man with confirmed berth 'harassed' by RAC passengers on train, even railway TTE 'threatened' him

A dispute over seating arrangements on an Indian train has sparked an online debate after a confirmed ticket holder shared his experience of being harassed by passengers holding Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) tickets.

The traveller, who had a confirmed side upper berth, recounted his ordeal in a Reddit post that has attracted significant attention. “I had a confirmed SU ticket from Indore and was enjoying a conversation with a fellow passenger from Ujjain when a family arrived. They held RACs for the seat below,” he stated.

Rising Tensions

Confusion arose when the family, asserting the right to the lower berth, encouraged him to move to the upper berth, despite seat number 64 being his. “They argued that I should take the upper berth and allow them to sit below. I told them I wasn't ready to sleep and would move at 22:00,” he described.

The atmosphere grew tense, with claims that the family displayed dissatisfaction through various gestures. Other RAC passengers offered unsolicited advice, while the traveller experienced pressure and guilt for simply occupying the seat he had legally reserved. According to him, the family ultimately 'played the family card', which was particularly frustrating.

Intervention by Train Staff

When the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) appeared, the resolution was reportedly inadequate. “The TTE started lecturing me, suggesting I should be more understanding. He even threatened that adhering strictly to regulations wouldn’t be beneficial. I told him to do what he must,” he recounted.

The episode left the traveller feeling both anger and guilt for standing his ground over his rightful seat. “I was left feeling angry and guilty at the same time, just because a family was in RAC, and I didn’t want to sleep then,” he shared.