Central Railway has suspended ticket checker Rajendra Tribhuvan and ordered an inquiry into the handling of a 17-year-old schoolgirl who was taken between several stations after a dispute over her travel authority on an AC local. The railway’s action follows a complaint by the girl’s parents, who have also sought action against the Railway Protection Force constable involved in the episode.
“Tribhuvan has been suspended and an inquiry has been initiated into the matter,” Central Railway officials said. The decision was conveyed to the girl’s parents after her mother met a senior railway official at Central Railway headquarters on Tuesday.
The Class 12 student had been travelling alone on an AC local on September 11. According to the report, she held a valid First Class ticket but was unaware that AC travel required a separate travel authority. Following the fare dispute, her parents alleged that she was taken from Mansarovar to Panvel and later to Wadala Road, even as her mother travelled to collect her.
The parents have alleged that the girl was treated like a criminal during the episode and that the RPF constable, identified as Dhumal, initially refused to identify herself and spoke harshly to the girl’s father over the phone. The family was reportedly told that the teenager would be taken to Belapur, but she was eventually taken to Wadala Road.
The girl’s father said she underwent counselling after the incident to help her deal with the trauma. The family remains dissatisfied that no action has yet been announced against the RPF personnel. The suspension announced by Central Railway currently applies to the ticket checker, while the role of the RPF constable remains a point of contention between the family and the railway authorities.
Central Railway had earlier said its inquiry found no evidence that the minor was deliberately abandoned. According to the railway’s account, once officials identified her as a minor, instructions were issued for her safe handover at Wadala Road. She was handed over to a railway employee who said he was known to the family, in the presence of RPF and other railway staff.
The railway had also said that the personnel involved were counselled to exercise greater care when dealing with minors and to ensure that handovers were properly verified. The new inquiry will examine the conduct of the suspended ticket checker. The parents’ demand for action against the RPF constable remains unresolved in the information available from Central Railway.
