Agartala, Nov 4: A woman deputy magistrate and her elderly mother were allegedly assaulted by parking staff at Agartala Railway Station on Wednesday morning after they questioned a Rs 20 parking fee for a brief drop-off.
Speaking to reporters outside the Agartala Government Railway Police station, the complainant, Deputy Magistrate Nilanjana Bhattacharjee, who is posted in Belonia, said she arrived at the station in an auto-rickshaw with her mother to board the 5.24 am Agartala–Belonia train.
According to Bhattacharjee, the driver dropped them off some distance from the main entrance because a parking fee was charged ahead. A young male parking attendant approached the vehicle to collect Rs 20. When her mother asked why a fee was charged for a quick drop-off far from the gate, an unidentified female parking employee allegedly rushed over and misbehaved with the driver.
When Bhattacharjee and her mother intervened and asked when the rule was introduced, the employee said the system had been in place for three years. After they countered the claim, the employee allegedly hurled verbal abuse at them and said outsiders had come to the city without knowing its rules.
Bhattacharjee said she took out her phone to record the altercation as evidence after the woman ignored attempts by co-workers and the parking manager to calm her down. The female staffer allegedly pushed Bhattacharjee and her mother from behind, grabbed the official by her hair, and dragged her to the ground. An elderly man identified only as Chakraborty allegedly threatened to smash her phone.
Bhattacharjee informed her higher authorities and missed her train due to the delay. She then lodged an FIR at the Agartala Government Railway Police station.
Police brought the accused woman and others involved to the station for questioning. Later, the parking manager visited the station to apologise and assured the official that the accused woman would be dismissed, while Bhattacharjee demanded an inquiry and strict legal action.
Bhattacharjee told reporters that charging daily commuters a Rs 20 drop-off fee for a Rs 20 train ticket without display boards, time tokens, or a free drop-off window was unjust. She also urged authorities to act against station auto-rickshaw operators who overload vehicles and misbehave with objecting commuters.
