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Need tougher punishments, ban on liquor consumption during train travel: Couple after ‘pee-gate’ incident
Dr. Khare, who retired as the head of the BHU’s orthopaedics department, questioned whether the punishment was adequate. The accused was released after he paid a nominal fine amount.
Dr GN Khare and his wife are deeply dismayed by the fact that the Railway Protection Force (RPF) let a young man, who urinated on them in an AC coach of Sampark Kranti Express on the night of October 4, go with just a nominal fine.
Dr. Khare, who retired as the head of the Banaras Hindu University’s orthopaedics department, questioned whether the punishment was adequate. “We repeatedly tried to stop him, but he continued to urinate on my wife and I even after we switched on the lights.”
He believes that the youngster did it intentionally and feels that the RPF missed an opportunity to set an example. “I was informed that this was the second such incident on Sampark Kranti in October. Just a few days before our ordeal, another passenger had faced a similar situation,” he said.
He said he did everything by the books, but the RPF let him down. “I reported the incident to the coach assistant; the TTE (travelling ticket examiner) prepared the memo and handed him over to the police. Such action (lack of tougher punishment) will only embolden anyone...” he remarked.
After his ordeal, Dr. Khare requested the government to establish regulations prohibiting alcohol consumption as the youngster, said to be 19 years old, in question was heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident.
He believes that without intervention such incidents would continue.
His wife, Usha, demanded a complete ban on alcohol consumption during train journeys.
Meanwhile, both the Railways and the RPF were facing sharp criticism for their handling of the case. A delegation of Congress leaders, led by former Jhansi MP Pradeep Jain Aditya, met divisional railway manager Deepak Sinha to demand a thorough investigation into the matter. They also sought clarification on why the youngster from Delhi was released upon paying a fine amount. The ex-MP said tougher action would have served as a deterrent and prevented the recurrence of such incidents.
The youngster, identified as Ritesh Kumar, was onboard coach B3. While he was on berth 63, the couple were on lower berths 57 and 60 of the Delhi-bound train.
He urinated on the couple and even became angry when stopped. Fellow passengers overpowered him and handed him over to the RPF.
RPF in-charge Ravindra Kaushik said section 145 of the Railways Act Kumar was charged with was a bailable offence. “We did what the law says,” Kaushik added.
