Assault on TTE by Duo Youth Delay Mangala Express
Mangaluru: According to Railway Protection Force (RPF) sources, the departure of the Ernakulum-Hazrat Nizamuddin Mangala Express was delayed by about 20 minutes in Udupi and about 45 minutes in Bhatkal owing to an argument between some passengers and a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE). It is learnt that a Muslim family of a husband, his wife, the wife’s sister and two girls, aged about five and two years, was travelling from Mangaluru to Bhatkal in a sleeper coach with general class tickets. The TTE, Thimmappa Gowda, during his ticket checking rounds, finding this family travelling in the sleeper coach with general ticket asked them to either get down at the next station (Udupi) or pay the difference amount.
This sparked off an argument between the TTE and the other passengers in the coach, who asked the former why the family cannot travel in sleeper coach when it had many empty seats. The passengers alleged that the TTE was drunk and demanded that he be tested for alcohol, according to railway sources. In the meantime, two Muslim youth namely Israj aged 26, and Sarfaraz aged 35, travelling in the same sleeper coach from Mangaluru to Bhatkal got up from their seats and confronted the TTE, questioning the TTE about his behaviour with the Muslim family. They even thrashed the TTE assuming that he was in a drunken state, it is learnt.
In the meantime the duo also called their friends in Bhatkal to arrive at the Bhatkal train station- when the train reached Bhatkal station, nearly 200 to 300 persons had gathered there after learning about the incident. They demanded the registration of a police complaint and arrest of the TTE, and stopped the movement of the train. But personnel of the Bhatkal police and the Railway Protection Force managed to bring the situation under control and the train finally left the station around midnight, after a 45 minutes delay.
Since some of the passengers alleged that the TTE was drunk, the railway authorities made TTE Gowda to undergo a test for consumption of alcohol by a Deputy Chief Medical Officer and the test results were neutral. Konkan Railway has ordered an enquiry into the incident. Meanwhile, a complaint of misbehaviour by the TTE has been lodged at the Railway Protection Force station in Udupi. The TTE too has lodged a complaint of obstruction of duty. The RPF are still investigating the incident.
Note : Pictures for Illustration only
