2 cops held, fined for using disabled coach

An alert, physically challenged railway activist caught two police men travelling in a handicapped coach of a Kalyan-bound fast train on Monday evening peak hours and handed them over to Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel at Dadar railway station.

The cops were later allowed to leave by the CST railway court on Tuesday after being fined Rs100 each.

“The two cops were identified as Bhimrao Desai and Subhash Rathod. Both were attached to the Nagpada police station in South Mumbai,” said an RPF officer.

Sameer Zaveri, a physically challenged railway activist said, “I boarded the handicapped coach of Kalyan bound fast local at around 8.38pm from CST. When the train reached Byculla station at around 8.47pm, two physically able men boarded the handicapped coach”.

Zaveri further said that he had contacted the railway police control room and informed them to send police personnel at Dadar to catch the two men. Based on his complaint, four police personnel in uniform reached the handicapped coach when the local arrived at Dadar station and asked the two to alight from the train,” said Zaveri.

“The duo was later identified as belonging to Mumbai police. They were later handed over to RPF personnel at Dadar for further action by the Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel,” he added.

“Desai and Rathod were arrested under section 155 (Travelling in handicapped compartment) of Indian Railway Act and subsequently produced before the CST railway court on Tuesday.” said an RPF officer.