Autorickshaw driver recounts abuse by RPF constable in 2017

“He used to harrass me and one day he detained me and called me a terrorist. I remember my family would be scared of him. They thought I would be implicated in a false case by Chaudhary. I had complained to the authorities then about his actions as I was scared for my life,” Khan told The Indian Express.

Khan’s complaint to the RPF officials is part of an investigation report prepared by an Inspector RPF (Crime Branch) Ratlam dated April 30, 2017 which recounts the strenuous days leading to Khan’s detention, the officer’s intervention in the matter and how they dealt with allegations against Chaudhary.

Khan said Chaudhary used to hire his autorickshaw for his personal work.

Khan’s statement to the investigators read, “I used to wait for hours but never got a single penny. One day he summoned me, but I politely refused as I had to take my daughter to school. I told him I would come once I dropped her to school. He got furious at this and abused me and threatened to break my hands and legs. When I told about this to my family, they urged me to stop plying my autorickshaw… my entire family was scared of Constable. It was becoming difficult to feed my family.”

Khan then told his friend Guddu about this, who had a stall at the local railway station. Guddu told Chaudhary multiple times to leave Khan alone since he belonged to a poor family and also asked him to clear his dues. “This angered Chaudhary more and he again abused me over this. The constable humiliated me in front of passengers, because of which I felt embarrassed, and it hurt my self-respect,” Khan’s complaint further read.

When contacted, Guddu told The Indian Express, “The RPF constable (Chaudhary) was extremely harsh with him and singled him out. We pursued our case against Chaudhary and he was eventually transferred out. This should have set the alarm bells.”

On February 18, 2017 Khan got a phone call from an associate, ML Meena, who worked as a guard and requested him to pick a spectacle and deliver it to his colleague, inside the railway station. When Khan went to deliver the spectacle, Chaudhary caught him and tried to impose a fine of Rs 270 for allegedly not carrying a platform ticket. Khan told the police that his platform ticket was torn by Chaudhary. A nervous Khan made phone calls to the guard and several others and after intervention by the local SHO, he managed to leave.

On February 19, Chaudhary again caught Khan near a goods warehouse at the railway station and allegedly abused him again and said, “Let’s see who rescues you now.” He was saved by Guddu, documents stated.

When Chaudhary was questioned by the RPF, he told that a “false complaint had been lodged to create psychological pressure on him.”

“All allegations and counter-allegations are untrue,” Chaudhary told the RPF.

“I never hired Wahid Khan’s autorickshaw for my personal work, nor have I known him before, nor have I abused or threatened him in any way,” the constable said.

Chaudhary said that on February 18, around 5:30 pm, he spotted a “suspicious person standing at platform number 1. When I asked him what he was doing, that person, who was an auto driver, started shouting causing inconvenience to the commuters. So, I brought him to the police station.”

Sub-Inspector Sachin Kumar Yadav, who was posted at the railway station, when questioned told the investigators that on February 18, after Chaudhary picked up Khan, he was informed about the detention. He saw Chaudhary and Khan, and said that he had to leave momentarily to attend to his duties. But, when he returned he did not see the two men. On February 19, Yadav said that Chaudhary again brought Khan to the police post and said he picked up Khan near a goods warehouse after Khan made indecent comments on him. Yadav saw that Chaudhary was “not in his uniform” and told Chaudhary that if Khan hd “misbehaved with you while on duty, then you should give a written complaint as per rules.”

“I told Chaudhary that while on duty he should be in proper uniform and not disturb anyone illegally, and to not create a nuisance. The said matter was disposed of keeping in mind the image of the force,” Yadav told the investigators.

Following the recording of the statements, the RPF Inspector (Crime Branch) stated, “After in-depth questioning related to the investigation of the complaint, the statements of the concerned, the recorded statements and the entire investigation of the matter, prima facie, the matter appears to be of mutual dispute and previous enmity and differences.”

When contacted, Western Railways spokesperson Sumit Kumar declined to comment citing an ongoing investigation.