BOLPUR/WEST BENGAL: Harassment of passengers with reserved seats at the hands of local commuters without reservation, especially students, in the Bolpur-Howrah Intercity Express has been quite a regular phenomenon.
However, on Monday, the authorities dealt with this perennial nuisance sternly, albeit for a single passenger.
After all, the person harassed was none other than the daughter of Lok Sabha speaker, Somnath Chatterjee.
The speaker’s daughter, Anushila Chatterjee, was travelling from Bolpur in Shantiniketan to Howrah by the Intercity Express on Monday morning, which was scheduled to arrive at Howrah station at around 9.15 a.m. and
she had a seat reserved in her name.
At Gushkara station in Burdwan district, a group of local students boarded the compartment, where Anushila was travelling. After boarding the train, these students asked Anushila to make space for them to sit.
Having a valid reservation, she flatly refused to share her seat. It was then that the students entered into an altercation with her.
Their contention was that irregular passengers have always provided space for the daily passengers despite having valid reservations. Anushila’s contention was that she, having proper reservation, would not allow others to occupy her space.
While the altercation was taking a serious turn, Anushila called up her father, who immediately informed the Gushkara Municipal Corporation authorities about the incident. The chairman of the corporation immediately rushed to the spot with the local police and handled the entire situation.
The local police detained the six students for quite some time. However, they appologised profusely and said they had done it because they did not have any knowledge of Anushila’s identity. Later the students were released, after being cautioned.
