Indian Ticket Checkers Demand Body Cameras for Protection

The Indian Railway Ticket Checking Staff Organisation (IRTCSO) is advocating for body cameras to protect ticket examiners from false molestation accusations and life threats. This follows a series of incidents where ticketless passengers allegedly lodged false FIRs and threatened TTEs, leading to arrests and demoralization among staff.

The Indian Railway Ticket Checking Staff Organisation (IRTCSO) has called on the Railway Board to provide body cameras to ticket examiners, citing incidents of false molestation accusations and threats to their lives by ticketless travelers.

The organization highlighted several recent cases where passengers hurled abuses, lodged false FIRs, and threatened train ticket examiners (TTEs) for enforcing fines.

Sanitary Singh, IRTCSO president, argued that body cameras would serve as evidence, protecting TTEs from wrongful charges and enabling action against misbehaving passengers.

Although the Railways provided body cameras to some staff last year on a trial basis, Singh emphasized the need for formal implementation given the frequent incidents of alleged misconduct by travelers.

In one incident, a West Bengal MLA threatened to kill a TTE who attempted to fine him for traveling with an improper ticket, Singh noted.

Singh also mentioned that a woman traveling without a ticket falsely accused a TTE of sexual harassment after she was compelled to pay a fine, leading to the TTE's arrest and subsequent release only when the woman agreed not to file a defamation case.

Santosh Kumar, Zonal Secretary of IRTCO's NCR zone, recounted an incident on the Ganga Damodar Express where a TTE faced false molestation charges. The woman involved used her police connections to lodge an FIR against the TTE, who was arrested at Gaya station.

Kumar criticized the GRP for not verifying the woman's claims with other passengers, who later defended the TTE on social media, leading to a compromise.

With 28,000 TTEs in Indian Railways, such incidents have caused fear and demoralization among staff, Singh stated, urging the Railway Board to ensure state police collaborate with the Railway Protection Force before taking extreme actions.

Singh urged for a fair investigation process where both parties are heard and demanded accountability for false complainers, advocating for criminal action against passengers falsely accusing TTEs.

(With inputs from agencies.)