Central Railway employees resorted to protests after four persons, including a former president of a zilla parishad committee, assaulted three railway staff in the AC coach of CST-bound Latur Express on Thursday. The four, who were later booked, have however accused the railway staff of theft.
According to the CST Government Railway Police (GRP), Baburao Rathod (41), former president of Latur Zilla Parishad Agriculture Committee, along with three of his friends Mohammed Bashiruddin (53), Jitendra Shinde (40) and Dilip Joshi, woke up when the train was nearing Thane and found out that their luggage was stolen. They suspected that the coach attendant Nilesh Khade had robbed their valuables.
According to the police, when Mr Khade refuted the allegations, the accused assaulted him. The four also roughed up AC mechanic Mahadeo Shankar and ticket checker M.R. Dixit, who tried to intervene. The issue was taken up with the GRP, after the train reached CST.
Rathod in his complaint to the police claimed that Bashiruddin and his bag, which contained `1 lakh each, was stolen onboard the train. Shinde too lost some of his important documents, the complaint alleged. “We have booked the passengers for assault, but haven’t registered a case against the attendant. A case of theft has been registered, as the bags were stolen,” said Surendra Deshmukh, senior police inspector, CST GRP.
The incident was later condemned by railway staff, who protested at CST. “Without any proof they cast suspicion on the railway staff and manhandled them. This incident is condemnable (sic),” the CR stated.