Muzaffarpur, Patna:
A 13-year-old poor hawker has lost his left leg, courtesy the Railway Police in Bihar. Shahbuddin says a railway constable threw him off the Gwalior-Barauni Express near Muzaffarpur on Thursday afternoon.
The constable, Shahbuddin says, knew he was travelling ticketless and cornered him.
"The RPF guy, the one with a black cap, came to me and asked for money. I said, take the money. Then he asked me for my license. I didn't have one. Next, he pushed me off the train," said Shahbuddin, 13-year-old hawker.
The victim has given a clear description of the constable based on which the Bihar police is tracking the culprit.
"It is a horrific incident. We will take strict action against the accused. The boy was without a ticket, but that does not mean he will be thrown out of a running train," said Arvind Pandey, DIG, Railways, Bihar Police.
But these words seem like hollow assurances till the culprit in this case is arrested.
In Patna, poor ticketless passengers complain almost everyday.
Railway constables don't make them pay for tickets instead extort, that often leads to very public altercations.
In Shahbuddin's case, the bullying and extortion went too far. It almost killed him.
Cheques for assistance can be made out to:Hafiz Md Mahfooz Alam
a/c no: 11439308878
State Bank of India , Lalganj, Bihar