Video of West Bengal MLA's 'misbehaviour' with TTE goes viral, ER may take legal steps

Kolkata: The Eastern Railway on Wednesday said it was mulling legal action against Trinamool Congress MLA Kanai Chandra Mondal for his alleged misbehaviour with a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) while travelling in a train, a purported video of which has gone viral on social media.

The video, the authenticity of which PTI has not independently verified, shows co-passengers in an AC chair car compartment protesting Mondal’s companion allegedly travelling without a valid ticket and the legislator losing his cool in the wake of the din that ensued.

A passenger was heard asking the Nabagram MLA whether he was living in a dictatorship or a democracy and demanded an explanation for bulldozing his wishes simply because he is a legislator.

Several other passengers also asked him whether a person can travel without a valid ticket in the chair car compartment.

The MLA was heard saying in the video that he had committed no wrong and the TTE could move court if he wanted.

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.

Mitra said that the authorities were consulting lawyers and senior officers on the matter.

He said that the Nabagram MLA’s companion did not have a proper ticket in her name and an altercation took place over the issue.

The legislator, however, 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.