Passenger 'assaults' TTE over ticket dispute in Kerala

Malappuram (Kerala): A travelling ticket examiner was allegedly attacked and punched on the nose by a passenger for being questioned over travelling in a reserved coach without a valid ticket, police said on Monday.

Vikram Kumar Meena, a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) hailing from Rajasthan, suffered the physical assault while performing his duty aboard the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore Maveli Express on Sunday night.

The incident happened when the train was near Tirur in the district, the police said.

"The accused was travelling without a reserved ticket. He attacked the TTE for questioning travel without a valid ticket and asking him to move to the general compartment," an official of the Kozhikode Railway police said.

The TTE later sought treatment at a hospital here and lodged a complaint with the police against the passenger, who was taken into custody soon.

"The accused was identified as Stalin Bose, a native of Kanyakumari. His arrest was recorded today," the officer said.

The case was registered against him under various sections of the IPC, the police added.

The incident happened weeks after a TTE was pushed out of a moving train by a drunk passenger in the Thrissur district of the state.