Railway cops harass TTE for asking inspector to show ticket

CHENNAI: A Traveling Ticket Examiner (TTE) with the Southern Railways has approached his superior officials with a complaint against Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel who allegedly harassed him and prevented him from carrying out his duties. His ‘crime’: daring to question a woman inspector in civil clothes for travelling without a pass or valid ticket.

The incident happened on Saturday. A video clip of the argument between the TTE and a group of personnel shows the cops trying to prevent railway official from boarding the train. When the TTE escaped their clutches and boarded the train, one of the policemen even suggests “pull the chain and stop the train”.

Though the visual clearly shows highhandedness, a senior GRP officer brushed off the incident as a mere case of misunderstanding and said they were not pursuing any action against the concerned inspector from their end, as she was travelling on official duty.

The woman inspector in plainclothes boarded the A/C coach on West Coast Express in Salem. When the TTE, Saravana Kumar, asked her to show her ticket, the inspector, said to be of Jolarpet GRP, reportedly questioned as to what authority he was questioning her. This triggered the face-off.

When the train reached Jolarpet station, a group of GRP and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel were at the station. “You guys ask her. She kept on saying that she would board train as she wishes, and who am I to ask her,” the TTE is seen explaining to the personnel in the video.

As the TTE was about to get on the train when it was about to start from Jolarpet station, the police personnel tried to prevent him from boarding the train. The TTE, however, managed to board the train and later informed the senior officials about the incident.

When DT Next asked a senior officer about the incident, the officer claimed the inspector was on official duty during the incident. While on duty, GRP officials in the rank of inspector and above are allowed to travel on A/C coaches in Tamil Nadu.

“Trains usually stop only for two minutes in these stations. Some TTEs understand that prior permission cannot be taken due to the short stoppage time at stations and accept when our officers inform them after boarding. She boarded the train thinking she would inform the ticket checking official later. It is only a minor incident,” the officer said.

Senior officials in Southern Railway have also had a discussion with their GRP counterparts about the incident.