Inquiry into rly manager’s assault on clerk

Jain today strongly denied he had slapped the clerk. “On Thursday afternoon, when I reached the booking and reservation counters at Bandra terminus, none of the clerks were in uniform and some of them had their shirt buttons open. On seeing me they started wearing their identity cards. One of the clerks, Narendra Chauhan, though, went on to attach a piece of paper, with his name written on it, to his shirt. I asked him not to fool me, removed the chit from his shirt and flung it on his face. I did not slap him,” the DRM said, adding Chauhan did not tell him he had not received his identity card. Even if he did not have a new card, he could have used the old one, as this is allowed, Jain said.

Jain said he then warned the chief reservation supervisor, S Mohile, saying he could suspend him. That is why, he alleged, Mohile had prodded Chauhan to lodge a police complaint.

Though Mohile was not available for comment, Chauhan denied the supervisor was behind his move and said he had indeed been slapped by Jain. “At 2.45 pm, I was issuing tickets at window number 2 when Jain along with other officials arrived. I have still not got my identity card, though I joined eight months ago, but as a mark of respect I attached the chit with my name on the shirt. When he furiously asked me why I was fooling him, I clarified I had applied for a card but had not got it. But he still slapped me in front of my colleagues and passengers,” Chauhan said.

The clerk denied he had lodged the complaint under any pressure. “If Jain had abused me, I would have tolerated it, but he assaulted me, so I had no option but to go to the police. He said he could not now say if he would withdraw the complaint.

Chauhan said some staffers had their shirt buttons open because the air-conditioner was not working.

Rakesh Maria, railway police commissioner said recording of statements of witnesses on both sides is on. An inquiry was instituted since the two sides were narrating different stories, he said.