Woman engineer-turned-fruit seller thrashed by RPF constable

A woman engineer, who was eking out her living by selling fruits in trains, was allegedly thrashed by a Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable when she was travelling ticketless in Gitanjali Express.

The incident took place on Friday night, the woman said in her FIR at the Government Railway Police station, Rourkela.

The engineer sustained injuries on her head due to the attack by the RPF constable, she stated in the FIR on Saturday.

The incident took place at Panposh Railway Station when she going to Howrah from Gundia in Karnakata in Gitanjali Express without a ticket as she had no money.

“At Panposh Railway Station, an RPF constable asked me to show the ticket and I told him that I have no ticket as I have no money. At this, he started abusing me and then suddenly started hitting me with his baton on my head."

“I would not have any complaint had the TTE slapped a fine on me. But what authority does an RPF constable have to abuse me and beat me mercilessly?” she asked.

The woman claimed she had graduated from an engineering college in Dharwad in Karnataka.

However, she could not find a suitable job and was therefore eking out a living by selling fruits on trains.

Inspector-in-Charge of GRP, Rourkela, Ranjan Patnaik said the woman was given first-aid and a case has been registered against the RPF personnel.