Bengaluru: Railway policemen ‘strip, thrash’ man for cycle

A cycle enthusiast was slapped by a woman railway ticket collector, beaten to pulp by five railway policemen, leaving his hand fractured, and foisted with “false” cases — all for carrying his foldable cycle in a train.

The victim, Deshmukh Dishendra, has written letters to the Karnataka state human rights commission and additional director-general of police (railways), seeking their intervention and action against the woman railway employee and guilty policemen.

In his complaint to railways ADGP Amar Kumar Pandey, Mr Deshmukh has said that he boarded the train from K.R. Puram and had alighted at the Cantonment railway station. “I had recently bought the foldable bicycle from Decathlon as I believe in saving the environment. On Tuesday, I got down at the Bengaluru Cantonment railway station and was carrying my bicycle when the woman ticket checking officer caught me and told me that carrying the bicycle attracted a fine. I told her that once folded, the bicycle hardly occupied any space and it weighed only 14 kg. But she insisted that I pay a fine, which was six times my train fare. When I asked her to show me the railway book that specified this rule and the receipt for the amount paid, she took away my railway pass and the cycle, and made me wait for 30 minutes. She later came back with an excuse that she did not know the luggage rules. I told her that if that was the case, six times my fare amount would be around Rs 60, I would pay her Rs 100 and she could keep the change. But she demanded Rs 300.”

Mr Deshmukh’s complaint stated, “I told her that even if it was Rs 1,000, I would pay, but I needed the receipt. When I asked her to stop indulging in corruption, she lost her cool and came charging at me. She slapped me, pushed me and later called police constables, telling them to take me to jail for misbehaviour. One of the constables took me to the station and started beating me. Soon, five others joined. They rained blows on me, kicked me and hit me with sticks before undressing me,” the complaint stated.

After begging for more than an hour, one of the constables allegedly asked Mr Deshmukh to call one of his friends and ask him to bring Rs 5,000 for the release. “I called my manager Harish Haswani, who arrived at the station with two other colleagues and pleaded with the railway police for my release. After taking Rs 5,000, they released me ... the woman railway officer had fined me Rs 190 stating that the bicycle weighed 40 kg. I was also fined for ticket-less travelling,” he said.

Superintendent of police (railways) D. Prakash told this newspaper, “A petition was submitted to the ADGP railways, Amar Kumar Pandey, by the victim following which an internal inquiry has been ordered.”

On Saturday, I visited the station where the incident took place and have ordered a preliminary probe into the matter. We are talking with both the parties as the woman ticket collector has filed a counter-complaint of molestation against Mr Deshmukh Dishendra. We have registered both cases. Disciplinary action will be taken if the policemen are found guilty.”