A video of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA has gone viral where he is seen allegedly misbehaving with a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) while travelling inside a train.
Kanai Chandra Mondal, the MLA from Nabagram, was travelling between Malda and Howrah when the incident happened.
The two-minute video was shared by BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul, where she claimed that the TMC MLA was travelling with two other people, while only one person had the ticket.
The video purportedly shows co-passengers in an AC chair car compartment protesting Mondal's companion travelling without a valid ticket and the MLA losing his cool during the verbal fight.
A passenger could be heard asking the Nabagram MLA whether he was living in a dictatorship or a democracy and demanded an explanation. The MLA then said that he had committed no wrong and the TTE could go to court if he wanted.
"Today, TMC MLA from Nabagram, Kanai Chandra Mondal, caused quite a scene on the Down Intercity Express, showing once again how some leaders believe they are above the law. Traveling with two extra people, one of whom was carrying a ticket that didn't even belong to them, MLA Mondal was confronted by the diligent Ticket Inspector (TT) who rightfully questioned the dubious arrangement," Paul said in a post while sharing the video.
What Has The Railways Said?
A letter written by Achintya Saha, the ticket collector, to the Divisional Commercial Manager of Eastern Railways, stated that the two co-travellers with the MLA had boarded the train from the Khagraghat Road station, while only one of them had a confirmed ticket.
"When I asked for their tickets, one of them (passengers) told me that he was the MLA of Nabagram and refused to pay the dues in favour of the unauthorised passengers," Saha said in the letter adding he immediately informed the control room in Malda of the situation.
The Eastern Railway on Wednesday said it was mulling legal action against Kanai Chandra Mondal for his alleged misbehaviour with the TTE.
ER spokesperson Kausik Mitra said the railway is contemplating legal action against Mondal over the incident that took place in the Malda-Howrah Intercity Express on Monday. He further said that the authorities were consulting lawyers and senior officers on the matter.
He further said that the Nabagram MLA's companion did not have a proper ticket in her name and an altercation took place over the issue.
MLA Kanai Chandra Mondal Clarifies
The TMC MLA, in his clarification, claimed that it was the TTE who misbehaved with him and he lodged a complaint with the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Howrah.
Mondal claimed that the woman passenger was from her constituency and had sought the conversion of her general ticket to that of the chair car compartment in which she was seated beside him.