HT Journalist 'Assaulted' by Train Bullies in UP

New Delhi, February 26: A Hindustan Times journalist onboard the Sealdah Rajdhani Express, travelling from Kolkata to Delhi, was harassed by train bullies in Uttar Pradesh. The scribe, identified as Richa Banka, was "assaulted" by passengers in her compartment, as per her claim on Facebook.

The incident was sparked after Richa and her husband asked a drunk person onboard to walk carefully. Irked by this, he hurled abuses at her husband and began physically attacking him. Mumbai: Central Railway Motorman Drives Train for 18 Km Despite Being Attacked With Chilli Powder.

The accused also "tore her cloth", the victim alleged on social media. She also accused the Railway Protection Force (RPF) of adopting a lax response towards her case.

The incident was reported near the Pandit Deen Dayal Railway stations in Uttar Pradesh. The journalist said that she dialled nearly 100 police officers, but none have taken concrete action in her case.

Richa, who is also reeling under Swine Flu, said several of the officials have reprimanded her husband instead of acting against the accused. She has also charged the RPF and UP Government Railway Police (GRP) of not offering her any medical assistance.

Here is the Facebook post penned by Richa Banka on Monday to narrate her ordeal:

When I thought of becoming a journalist, I wanted to change things. Stop people from being victims but today I am one of them. The victim of the lazy and failed law and order. Tonight I am witnessing the most horrendous night of my life when both me and my husband has been thrashed in a running train. My clothes have been torn and I have been heckled in the train at a time when I have serious symptoms of swine flu.

Our fault- All we did was ask a drunk man ( who had come to see off an on-board passenger) walk carefully. While the drunk man easily gets off the train abusing and hitting my husband, his relative with his wife provoke, abuse and manhandled me. When my husband, tried to retaliate, he hit my husband and also tore my cloth.

Now for the action part. The onboard RPF officer Girijesh Kumar and Mr Yadav, did not take any action. In fact they alleged that we had stopped the train by pulling the chain whereas I was saving my husband from getting beaten up. Since the time that both of us have been beaten, no medical has been conducted even after 10 hrs of the incident. Since the time of the incident, not even a single RPF women constable has come to enquire about my condition. When asked the GRP officers at Mughalsarai said and I quote, "Yeh to aapko upar se kehna hoga. Humare pass ek bhi women staff nahi hai."

Since the incident, I have repeated my ordeal to around 100 police officers who have done nothing but gave me facts and information about the jurisdiction, about how the FIR is being processed while I lie down writing this post and vomiting a couple of times. But no action has been taken till now.

As I lie down sleepless down with severe cough, Cold and a probable swine flu, the miscreants continue to sleep happily at their heart's content leaving me to introspect that I have failed as a journalist. While I write several stories to extend a hand of support, today at this hour, I feel that I have lost my battle against the ills of the society which I thought I can change. I realised that when I cannot help myself, then how can I bring the change.

Thank you #rpf #upgrp for your sheer inaction to a patient who was beaten up along with her husband while your police officer comes and says, "Koi bijli ki batti to nahi hai ki dabaya or action ho jayega." (This comment was made at the Pt Deen Dayal junction, about 10 hrs after the incident).

As I lie down today on the verge of being hospitalized due to ill health, I still wait for an action to be taken against the miscreants.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 26, 2019 11:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).