Mumbai:
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials' ways were for all to see on Thursday, with a jawan's insistence that his Labrador was more deserving of an entire seat in a train's bogie reserved for disabled people than the disabled themselves, who had to cover the journey standing up. After asking a disabled man to vacate a public bench last week, another RPF official yesterday from the cadre occupied two entire seats in a local with his dog. On being asked to make place for people to sit, he put his foot down and started abusing.
On Thursday, Deepak Kaitake, who works for News Stock Monitoring Service (NSMS) in Kandivli, was waiting at Mahim station to board a Borivli-bound local at 10.36 am. When the train arrived, Kaitake (31), paralysed in the left hand, made his way to the compartment for disabled people, but saw that it was more crowded than usual. After getting on board, he saw why. An RPF jawan was lounging on a whole seat and on the seat facing him sprawled and growled a formidable black Labrador. Other occupants of the compartment just maintained their distance from the canine and his rude owner, he said.
According to Kaitake (31), the physically-challenged men asked the official, later identified as SM Surendran, to vacate the seat but he said no. Nobody wanted to go close to the constable or the dog fearing that either could snap at the slightest provocation, eyewitnesses told MiD DAY. "When we asked the jawan to make place for us to sit, he refused. Then he abused and threatened us," said Kaitake, adding, "I have complained to railway authorities of his misbehaviour." He further said, "This is not the first time. RPF officials travel with their digs in the bogie reserved for disabled people all the time. The ticket collector never fines them."
When contacted, Mahim Swami, inspector general, RPF, Western Railway said, "This is very unfortunate. I will look into the matter."
On Thursday, Deepak Kaitake, who works for News Stock Monitoring Service (NSMS) in Kandivli, was waiting at Mahim station to board a Borivli-bound local at 10.36 am. When the train arrived, Kaitake (31), paralysed in the left hand, made his way to the compartment for disabled people, but saw that it was more crowded than usual. After getting on board, he saw why. An RPF jawan was lounging on a whole seat and on the seat facing him sprawled and growled a formidable black Labrador. Other occupants of the compartment just maintained their distance from the canine and his rude owner, he said.
According to Kaitake (31), the physically-challenged men asked the official, later identified as SM Surendran, to vacate the seat but he said no. Nobody wanted to go close to the constable or the dog fearing that either could snap at the slightest provocation, eyewitnesses told MiD DAY. "When we asked the jawan to make place for us to sit, he refused. Then he abused and threatened us," said Kaitake, adding, "I have complained to railway authorities of his misbehaviour." He further said, "This is not the first time. RPF officials travel with their digs in the bogie reserved for disabled people all the time. The ticket collector never fines them."
When contacted, Mahim Swami, inspector general, RPF, Western Railway said, "This is very unfortunate. I will look into the matter."
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