A Delhi-based travel vlogger has reportedly claimed in a video that he was molested by a Railway Protection Force (RPF) official while travelling on Donyi Polo Express train from Guwahati to Rangapara North Junction in Assam. According to reports, the incident took place on April 25. Deepak Samal, 30, recounted the incident to Moneycontrol, stating, “It happened in the middle of the night. I was sleeping on the side lower aisle berth when somebody flashed a torch on my face. I woke up to see an RPF officer conducting a routine check.”
Deepak narrated that when he woke up to check if the station was nearing, he noticed another man in uniform. Assuming he was an RPF official, Deepak enquired about the distance to Rangapara station. He told the portal that the officer informed him that the station would arrive soon and then began questioning Deepak about his identity, occupation and destination. Deepak found these inquiries surprising but initially regarded them as routine.
Deepak added that the officer then sat on his berth. “I had placed my backpack on the berth so there was very little space left, but he proceeded to sit by my legs. I thought he was tired and because he was an officer, I did not give it much thought and went back to sleep,” he recounted.
After sensing something wrong, Deepak shouted, “What do you think you are doing?” To this, Deepak claimed that the officer responded with a “time-pass” before leaving the coach.
“At that point, I was hurt and shocked and wasn’t sure of what to do. My station Rangapara was also about to arrive. I got off the train and shot the video where I spoke about the incident but did not share it immediately,” he told Moneycontrol.
Deepak has reportedly lodged a complaint with Railway Madad, an Indian Railways official grievance redressal mechanism.
In response to the incident, Sabyasachi De, the CPRO of the Northeast Frontier Railway, told the news portal that the authorities are actively investigating the case. He also urged the passengers to promptly report any grievances they experience using the Railway Madad app, assuring that it would be investigated immediately. Furthermore, he commanded Deepak to come forward and file the complaint. “It will take some time for the authorities to look into the matter since it has already been more than a week since the incident but action will be taken,” he said.
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