Cop accuses RPF colleagues of assault, stealing luggage

The incident took place on December 13, 2017 when constable Lalit Tripathi, posted at the RPF Reserve Company in Mahalaxmi, was returning to Kalwa after his daughter’s marriage in Uttar Pradesh. (Representational Image)

A Constable with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has accused fellow RPF officials of assaulting him and stealing his luggage. However, his complaint was registered by the police only last week, three months after the incident, after he wrote to senior railways and police officials.

The incident took place on December 13, 2017 when constable Lalit Tripathi, posted at the RPF Reserve Company in Mahalaxmi, was returning to Kalwa after his daughter’s marriage in Uttar Pradesh. The off-duty constable had alighted along with his family from an inter-state train at platform 6 when someone pulled the emergency chain to delay the train’s departure. “There were several other passengers alighting after us and could not get their luggage out before the train started to move. One of them might have pulled the chain. There was no malicious intent behind the action,” said Tripathi.

Within minutes, however, an RPF sub-inspector named Vikramjit arrived at the platform and asked Tripathi whether it was he who had pulled the chain. “I said it wasn’t me. My wife and other passengers also said that some other passenger was responsible. But the sub-inspector was not convinced and he continued to accuse me of pulling the chain,” he added.

Even as Tripathi and his family moved away and climbed a foot overbridge on their way out of the station, Vikramjit allegedly followed them, hurling abuses all the way. The police said that Vikramjit then allegedly slapped and pushed Tripathi to the ground. When Tripathi’s brother Premshankar — who is an RPF sub-inspector posted at the force’s control room at CSMT — attempted to intervene, Vikramjit allegedly assaulted him too, the police said.

“We tried to tell him that we also work with the RPF, but he would not listen. Instead, he threatened to shoot us. We were afraid that someone might get hurt and overpowered him and took him to the RPF police station,” added Tripathi.

However, Tripathi alleged that the duty inspector instead encouraged Vikramjit to file a complaint against him. “We were very disappointed with the response and decided to leave. I stepped out of the station to find an autorickshaw to go home, but my brother called and told me that the RPF inspector wanted to speak to me,” he said.

In his complaint to the Thane railway police, Tripathi claimed that after an another futile conversation with the RPF, he noticed that one of his suitcases was missing.

“It had Rs 1.2 lakh cash and my wife’s gold jewellery worth Rs 2 lakh in it. I am sure that Vikramjit and another RPF sub-inspector Sharad Uike stole the suitcase when we were running around trying to register our complaint,” he claimed.
Over the next three months, Tripathi shot off letters to the RPF, the Government Railway Police, the Central Railways and the Railway Minister, seeking an inquiry against the errant RPF officials. “It was only after meeting the Inspector General of the GRP that my complaint was registered on Tuesday. It has been so difficult for a member of a uniformed force to register a complaint… I cannot imagine how hard it must be for civilians,” he said.

A complaint has been filed against RPF sub-inspector Sharad Uike for theft, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation, insult and common intention of the Indian Penal Code, the police said.
Uttam Sonawane, Senior Inspector, Thane railway police station, said the police were checking CCTV footage from the station to find when and where Tripathi’s luggage was stolen and also who is responsible for the theft.

In response, the Thane RPF has also filed a complaint against Tripathi and his brother. While Inspector Dinesh Nair of the Thane RPF declined to comment, Sachin Bhalode, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Central Railway (Mumbai Division), said he was not aware of the incident.

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