Mob ransacks RPF booth at Baruipur station

KOLKATA: A mob on Monday went on the rampage at the Baruipur railway station after a ticket examiner detained a youth travelling without a ticket.
Trouble started after the rumour spread that he had been manhandled by the railway staffers inside their office. Scores of commuters rushed to the office to rescue the youth. The railway officials sought shelter at the Railway Protection Force (RPF) booth.But this infuriated the mob and stones were pelted at the RPF booth and furniture were damaged.
"RPF personnel on duty at the station were outnumbered. Efforts were made to reason with the mob but this didn't help. The passengers then turned their attention to the Government Railway Police (GRP) station next door. Somebody struck a match and a uniform hanging on the wall was set ablaze. The uniform got partially burnt," a senior RPF official said.
Trouble started around 8.45am when Abdul Sheikh (17) got off a train at Baruipur and approached the exit. He tried to make a getaway on spotting the ticket examiners but was nabbed. Sheikh said that he had travelled from Kalyanpur and refused to pay a fine. This led to a heated altercation with the railway officials and the youth was led away to the office. This was when somebody spread the rumour that the boy was being assaulted.
"It all happened within 10 minutes. We didn't get time to call in reinforcements as the mob dispersed when commuters started boarding their respective trains. The boy was handed over to the GRP and sent to hospital for a medical examination. He was later taken home by his relatives. The GRP has started a case and is investigating the matter," the official said.