25 January,2011 06:33 AM IST | | Vedika Chaubey
Police file complaint against the unknown assailant and railway authorities promise to go over CCTV footage to bring him to book A ticketless traveller pushes Ticket Checker Robert Dabre at Kandivli railway station The assailant runs away as Dobre falls on the tracks. Illustrations/ Jishu Dev Malakar
Being a Ticket Checker (TC) with the railways does not invite smiles from passengers or pats on the shoulder for a job well done.
Robert Dabre (40), a resident of Vasai and TC at Kandivli station paid heavily for doing his job. On Saturday at about 1 pm, Dabre stopped an unidentified passenger on platform one at the Kandivli station and asked him to produce his ticket. Since the man did not have a ticket, he pushed Dabre onto the tracks and escaped with the crowd exiting the station.
"I am working as a TC for the last 8 years and have been posted at Kandivli station for the last three. I was doing my duty when someone pushed me. I lost balance and fell onto the tracks," Dabre said.
Railway authorities have stated that they will not turn a blind eye to the incident and will use all means possible to bring the assailant to book, even using CCTV footage, if required.
"We are searching for the passenger and as soon as we identify him, we will ensure that he is severely punished," said Sharat Chandrayan, Chief Public Relations Officer, Western Railway.
Manoj Paralkar, a passenger who witnessed the incident, said, "I was on the platform to board a train when I saw a TC examining passengers' tickets. All of a sudden, a ticketless passenger violently pushed the TC onto the tracks and fled."
S M Karyakarte, senior inspector (GRP), Borivli, said, "We have registered a case of accidental injury."
Might is right
On the other hand, some TCs never face anything like what Dabre did, because of their intimidating physique that comes across as formidable.
Amol Buchade, bodybuilder and winner of the prestigious 2010 Rustam-e-Hind title, and Keshav Singh, another bodybuilder are two TCs who say that they have never faced such incidents in their careers.
