A ticket inspector was injured during a dispute with a passenger at Jogeshwari railway station in Mumbai on Thursday, prompting Western Railway to expand safety measures for ticket-checking staff with body cameras, GPS tracking and specialised jackets.
The incident took place at about 5 p.m. on the station’s south footbridge during a ticket-checking drive. Ticket inspector Ashish Gupta was questioning passengers about their tickets when one passenger allegedly began arguing and then assaulted him, according to the report.
Railway Protection Force personnel reached the location after receiving information about the incident. The matter was also reported to the Andheri railway police, which took the inspector and the passenger into custody for further legal action. During questioning, the passenger identified himself as Ajay, 31, and gave an address in the Ranka Nagar area of Akola district. The Andheri railway police are investigating the case.
The incident occurred as Western Railway’s Mumbai division operates ticket-checking activity across stations, local trains and long-distance services. The division has about 1,064 ticket-checking employees, including staff deployed in flying squads and on special inspection drives.
As an initial measure, the railway has arranged 15 body cameras and 30 special black jackets for ticket-checking personnel. The jackets will include multiple compartments and pockets to carry equipment such as hand-held ticketing devices, electronic fare collection machines, identity cards, name badges and other required material.
Western Railway officials said work on installing GPS systems is at a preliminary stage. The system is intended to help authorities identify the locations of staff and deploy additional personnel from nearby areas when required. It is also expected to support quicker responses when disputes, physical altercations or other incidents occur during ticket inspections.
The GPS system could also be used to coordinate sudden inspection requirements at stations by identifying nearby flying squads and other available personnel. The railway has not announced a wider deployment schedule beyond the initial provision of body cameras and jackets and the ongoing preliminary work on GPS tracking.
