LUCKNOW: Dirty linen in air-conditioned coaches of Indian Railways is something which many passengers have experienced and complained about. But, senior Samajwadi Party leader and cabinet minister Mohd Azam Khan could be an exception. Khan allegedly slapped and pinched the coach attendant for not making a 'perfect' bedding for him. And, later the minister denied the allegation.
As per records, Khan boarded the Amritsar Howrah Express (train number 13005) on Tuesday afternoon from Charbagh Railway station to reach his native place Rampur. He reportedly found that the linen provided to him in his first class AC cabin was not made neatly. Though he didn't react initially, he called the attendant about five minutes before the train was to stop at Rampur. "He told me that I do not know how to set a bedding properly. And before I could say anything, he started uttering foul words. I tried to defend myself, he slapped me and pinched me while locking into the coupe. He told me that he would let me go only if I would hold my ears and do sit-ups 50 times. I was following the order helplessly when the train reached Rampur. The minister got down, leaving me absolutely numb," said the victim, Nirmal Murmu - a technical III staff with the Eastern Railway.
TOI spoke to the attendant when the train was on its way back to Howrah (train number 13006) on Thursday morning. The train stopped at Charbagh at around 10.35 am and departed for the next station at 10.50 am. Nirmal stated that before he could think of reporting the matter to the authorities on Tuesday, the train departed. "I decided to not to let the matter go like this. At around 2.30 pm on December 19, I lodged an FIR with the government railway police at Amritsar station," he said adding that he has seen people complaining about lack of facilities but the way in which the minister behaved with him was uncalled for.
Nirmal is working with the Eastern Railway since 2001 and presently holds the designation of technical-III staff. He belongs to Hooghly district of West Bengal and says that he has never faced such a 'torture'. "In 12 years of my service, I have seen many passengers getting annoyed over lack of facilities. But not even once, I have seen anyone getting down to this level. I feel that I was tortured for no reason," he told TOI.
When asked to comment, Mohd Azam Khan said, "Mujhe nahi yaad ki aisa kuch hua tha." (I do not remember if something of this sort happened). TOI informed the minister that the attendant has named him in his complaint, which has been duly received by the police officials, he said, "Koi aur hoga mere naam ka." (It could be someone else with my name). Victim Murmu continued to plead his case. "It is not for the first time that the minister was travelling. I recognise him and people who travel with him. He is usually accompanied by a gunner. The person was surely Mohd Azam Khan," asserted Murmu.
It may be noted that the seat allotted against the PNR number (660-9767668) mentioned in Murmu's complaint was in the name of Azam Khan. The seats were allotted against VIP quota. Incidentally, this is not for the first time that the SP leader has sparked off a controversy. "Stories of his argument with the railway staff are not new," said KP Singh, coach mechanic who has been witness to the incident.
However, some railway officials believe that the quota for public representatives is often misused. "We have seen that the same MP or MLA travels to different destinations on the same day, which is practically impossible," said an officer, requesting anonymity. Meanwhile, the incident has shattered Murmu's self-respect and he has decided to raise the matter with his employees' union in Kolkata.
Rail attendant lodges FIR against UP minister Azam Khan
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Rail attendant lodges FIR against UP minister Azam Khan
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Rail attendant lodges FIR against UP minister Azam Khan
