- This topic has 0 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 1 year, 1 month ago by
.
-
Posts
-
-
FYesterday evening, as a 20‑year‑old, third‑year engineering student with a valid monthly ticket, I boarded the Ladies Special Matribhumi train on the Eastern Railway, Sealdah line. Traveling in the vendor compartment, I disembarked at Naihati Junction (North 24 Parganas, West Bengal) when I was suddenly surrounded by several men who were wearing casual Tshirts, lowers, and slippers, identifying themselves as Railway Protection Force personnel. Confused, I watched as an ASI escorted me, along with about a dozen other passengers, to the RPF office. Without citing any specific law or section, the officers, only two of whom were in uniform, announced that we had been “arrested” for being in a ladies‑only coach and demanded a bailable fine. They prevented me from using my phone to record or call anyone, which immediately struck me as suspicious.
Calmly, I asked if I could phone my father, an ex‑Air Force clerk in the municipality, and was permitted to do so. When I requested that the ASI explain the situation to him, the officer refused, insisting I relay the details myself. My father advised me to assert that I was a student and request to be released, but the officers remained unmoved, insisting the “fine” was ₹400. Lacking cash on hand, I offered to pay via UPI, one of the casually dressed men produced a scanner, wearily collected the money, and I reluctantly transferred ₹400. They handed me only a printed note, seemingly prepared at the station with faint guide lines; when I tried to read its contents, they refused to let me see it, simply pointed to the signature section, made me write my name, and then told me to pay. No formal receipt or official paperwork was provided. Before I left, an SI asked for my father’s name, I said my father’s name with his rank, the SI’s expression revealing uncertainty about the propriety of their own actions.
Afterwards, I contacted the Sealdah Division inquiry office, who confirmed there is no provision penalizing males for traveling in a vendor coach of a Ladies Special train. I could find no relevant statute or regulation online. In hindsight, it seems clear this was a scam, but at the time I felt powerless, as a student alone, I feared they might fabricate charges. The station’s CCTV I assumed wasn’t functioning (there were no LEDs), which only heightened my concern. My father later remarked that such officers often view their salary as insufficient and look for other ways to supplement their income. I’m left wondering whether I handled the situation correctly under pressure, or if there was something more I could or should have done. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.
-
