The National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has penalised the Eastern Railways for harassing a passenger in 2013 over a railway ticket. The railways has been directed to pay a fine of Rs25,000 with 9% interest from 2013 for mental harassment. The forum has also asked the railways to return the entire ticket amount of Rs3,500 to the complainant.
The commission held that although there is no sufficient evidence that alleged manhandling and harassment occurred, circumstances indicate that the situation might have arisen on account of arguments between the ticket checker (TC) and the complainant on account of classifying the latter as a ticketless traveler.
The complainant, Ashis Paul, said he was subjected to physical assault by the railway personnel despite a valid railway ticket while travelling from New Delhi in February 2012. Paul said he was forcibly removed from the train by the Railway Protection Force (RPF), tied to a tree with a rope at Mughalsarai station, detained overnight in a lock-up, and released on bail the following day.
In his complaint, Paul said he booked a ticket through Tatkal with his wife’s ID (who was not travelling), which did not match the booking history on check by TC. He claimed he was forced to alight the train, was humiliated by the RPF, subjected to physical assault and released on bail.
He mentioned that as per the new circular of the railways, Tatkal tickets can be booked by a maximum of four persons and it’s not mandatory to give ID proof of each and every passenger. When the commission asked the railways to file their reply, they claimed that the ID proof of the ticket holder and the one shown to the TC was different.
The commission confirmed that Paul was assaulted after it saw the complainant’s X-ray reports. “In such a situation, the passenger should at least produce his own identity to the satisfaction of the TC. If that is done, in our considered opinion, such a passenger should not be treated as a ticketless traveler and charged again,” read the order copy.
