A ticket inspector was injured during a confrontation with a passenger during a ticket-checking drive at Jogeshwari railway station in Mumbai on September 10, according to a report by Loksatta. Western Railway is now preparing to deploy body cameras, GPS tracking and specially designed jackets for ticket-checking staff in the Mumbai division.
The incident took place at about 5pm on the southern foot overbridge of Jogeshwari station on the Western Railway network. Ticket inspector Ashish Gupta was checking passengers’ tickets when a passenger allegedly began arguing with him and then assaulted him, according to the report.
Railway Protection Force personnel reached the location after receiving information about the confrontation. The matter was also reported to the Andheri railway police. Both the ticket inspector and the passenger were handed over to the railway police for further legal action, the report said.
During the inquiry, the passenger identified himself as Ajay, 31, and reportedly gave an address in the Ranka Nagar area of Akola district. The Andheri railway police are investigating the incident, and further legal proceedings are under way. The report did not provide details of the sections of law invoked or the medical condition of the injured inspector.
The incident has coincided with Western Railway’s plan to strengthen protection and operational coordination for ticket-checking personnel. The Mumbai division has approximately 1,064 ticket-checking employees, who are deployed at stations, on local trains, on long-distance trains and as part of special checking drives at different locations.
As a first step, 15 body cameras and 30 specially designed black jackets are being arranged for staff, according to information attributed to senior Western Railway officials. The jackets will include multiple compartments and pockets for equipment used during ticket inspections, including hand-held terminal devices, electronic fare collection machines, identity cards, name badges and other required material.
Western Railway has also begun preliminary work on installing GPS systems. The stated objective is to help security teams identify where ticket-checking personnel and flying squads are operating and determine where additional staff can be sent when required.
The GPS system is also expected to help railway authorities respond more quickly if a dispute, physical confrontation or other untoward incident occurs during ticket inspection. Once the location of an employee on duty is available, security personnel can identify the nearest team and move it to the site, the report said.
The system is also intended to improve the deployment of flying squads during sudden ticket-checking requirements at stations or on trains. The timing for full implementation of the GPS system and the distribution schedule for the body cameras and jackets were not specified in the report. The Andheri railway police investigation remains the next formal step in the Jogeshwari case.
