VELLORE: The Government Railway Police (GRP) attached to the Jolarpet Railway Station has registered a case against two Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs) of the Chennai-Bengaluru Mail for manhandling and abusing three police personnel, including a woman constable, on duty during the early hours of Monday.
The injured police personnel have been admitted to the Government Hospital in Tirupattur. The southern railway has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
The incident occurred at 1.30 am on Monday. K Lakshmi (27), a woman constable attached to the GRP, Jolarpet, along with two personnel - M Manivasagam (28) and R Ravichandran (21), of III battalion of the TN Special Police - were assigned the ‘moving train beat’ on Bangalore-Chennai Mail. The beat was introduced with the concurrence of the senior officials of railways four months ago. It was aimed at checking crimes on moving trains and ensure safety of the passengers.
A team of three to four police personnel is deployed on all trains plying between Jolarpet and Chennai and vice-versa between 12 am and 4 am daily, said a police officer. The personnel have to travel on moving train from Jolarpet to Chennai Central to ensure the safety of passengers and prevent thefts and robbery. After the train entered the platform III of Jolarpet station at 1.15 am, the three police personnel boarded the A/C Coach (B1 and B2). However, the TTE Tamilvannan stopped them stating that the police personnel could enter the coach with duty passes.
Despite the police personnel explaining, the TTE opposed their move, leading to a heated argument. A TTE from another coach came to the aid of Tamilvannan. In the melee, the two TTEs allegedly manhandled the woman constable and two other police personnel.
The three police personnel, who sustained minor injuries, were admitted to a Government Hospital in Tirupattur. Based on the complaint filed by Lakshmi, a case was registered against the TTEs under section 294 (b), 332, 353 and 506 (i) of the IPC, read with section 4 of the TN Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998, said an official.
“We have sent a report regarding the incident to the DRM of southern railway, who in turn initiated a departmental inquiry against the TTEs. We will take action, if inquiry proves the two TTEs guilty,” Superintendent of Police, GRP, P Vijayakumar told Express.