BENGALURU: The videos exposing the behaviour of Deputy Chief Ticket Inspector (DCTI) at Krishnarajapuram, V Santhosh, have been welcomed by countless passengers who have been allegedly harassed by him in the past. One such passenger plans to file a criminal case against him.
Sunil, an IT professional, who claims he was harassed by Santhosh earlier, told TNIE that he had been receiving calls and messages from friends after the videos went viral on how Santhosh had behaved with them in the past. “Targeting those who do not look like they belong to Karnataka or single women and intimidating them is a common thread running through them. I now intend to pursue much stricter action against this individual and, maybe, file a criminal case against him,” he said.
Sunil vividly recalls the afternoon of December 31, 2019, when he and his wife, a doctor, were returning from Visakhapatnam by the Humsafar Express.
“He asked us to produce our tickets. Just as my wife was opening our phone to show it to him, he was hurrying us up. He then began abusing me with such unparliamentary words that I cannot even share with you. When I protested, he said he would call the Railway Protection Force and book us for carrying excess baggage. We were shocked by this brazen attitude,” he said. There were RPF cops at the station who noticed his behaviour but chose to remain silent, Sunil alleged.
Sunil adds that after showing their tickets, his wife who knew Kannada, said he could not treat them in this fashion. “She told the ticket checker that if their baggage was shown to weigh less, then he should apologise for his behaviour. He let us off after that. I am willing to testify in front of any court on this incident,” he added. The IT professional added that his friends, a North Indian couple, too experienced such harassment at his hands.
“More people have reached out to me now. In the interests of the safety of women passengers mainly, I want to go ahead with the criminal case,” he stressed.