NAGPUR: A heated argument over stale ‘chana' (chickpea) between an illegal vendor and two passengers in the general coach of Puri-Ahmedabad Express turned violent near Wardha on Wednesday.
The vendor stabbed the passengers after they refused to take the foul-smelling ‘chana'. The incident triggered chaos and panic in the train's packed general compartment.
The unauthorized vendor, identified as Harshal Teware (25), jumped off the train as it left Wardha station. The two profusely bleeding passengers, Bhupendra Dhanwani (33) and Sonu Mouriya (25), alerted railway police. The victims were attended to by govt railway police (GRP) at the next stop at Badnera station before being rushed to a hospital. They were later taken back to Wardha GRP, where an offence of causing grievous injury, was registered.
Sources said Dhanwani purchased ‘chana' from Teware but was miffed to find it stale. He confronted Teware over this, leading to a scuffle. An enraged Teware then stabbed Dhanwani first and then Mouriya, who tried to intervene. Leaving the victims bleeding, Teware jumped off the train.
Assistant police inspector Harshal Chaple, in charge of Wardha GRP, stated Teware, a resident of Samata Nagar at Sawangi Meghe in Wardha, was nabbed based on local intelligence input. "Teware used a knife which he kept for chopping onions to serve with chana. We are now verifying if he had any criminal antecedents," said Chaple.
The incident comes at a time when Central Railway authorities implemented QR code-based vendor management system across Nagpur division to keep illegal vendors at bay.
A day after the incident was reported, railway authorities announced a week-long joint operation by commercial inspectors and Railway Protection Force (RPF) against illegal vendors. Senior divisional commercial manager, CR Nagpur Division, Aman Mittal, who implemented the QR code-based Vendor Management System (VNS) software, said, "We are focusing on the entire division, but the drive would be intensified in the Nagpur-Wardha section."
Five vendors selling tea, chana, and local raisins were detained from Puri-Ahmedabad Express and handed over to RPF, Wardha, for action.
Sources stated the railway authorities are also keeping a vigil near the diamond crossing section where the trains slow down, making it easy for illegal vendors to board the train and sell unlabelled food items, oranges, and water bottles. The role of RPF in failing to curb illegal vendor menace is also questionable, sources said.