UP: RPF cop slaps TTE in Sangam Express

AGRA: A cop of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) was booked for allegedly slapping chief ticket inspector (CTI) of Sangam Express, after he was confronted for boarding upper class coach without ticket or pass.
The incident took place at around 3:30am on Thursday, when Prayagraj bound train reached Etawah junction. The accused cop was identified as sub-inspector Mahesh Sharma, claimed to be attached with north central railway headquarters in Allahabad, while the victim is 40-year-old Harishankar Porwal, the chief ticket inspector of Sangam Express.
Based on Porwal written complaint, government railway police of Etawah junction booked SI Mahesh Sharma under IPC sections 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace). Along with accused officer Sharma, Etawah RPF constable RK Yadav too was booked for helping Sharma to escape from station after the incident.
Speaking to TOI, Porwal said, “As soon the train reached Etawah junction, a young man in plainclothes boarded the AC-2 tier coach of Sangam Express. When I enquired about his ticket, the man claimed to be railway staff sub-inspector Mahesh Sharma. I asked him to show his identity card or railway pass, but he refused and misbehaved.”
“Seeing his aggressiveness I confronted him, on which he slapped me. With the help of other TTEs and coach attendants we caught him and called RPF Etawah. But instead of helping us, one of the Etawah RPF constables helped the assailant to escape. In this entire incident, the train was delayed by 20 minutes. I reported the matter to my superiors and later lodged an FIR against two cops,” he added.
Kamal Shankar, station house officer of GRP Etawah, said, “We are probing the matter and will take appropriate action based on findings of investigation.”
Speaking to TOI on the condition of anonymity, a senior railway official said, “A similar incident occurred on April 12 with another TTE named Raja Rama Meena, where a RPF sub-inspector of Panki station boarded Kanpur bound Shatabdi Express while he was in plainclothes. The cop misbehaved with TTE when he confronted him for traveling in train without ticket or pass. An internal inquiry is still going on.”
“Such unauthorised traveling by railway’s own employees really makes difficult job for TTEs,” he added.