The Calcutta High Court has pulled up a section of travelling ticket examiners (TTEs) for allotting unoccupied berths to passengers for money, comparing the practice to selling "vegetables in a market". The court's remarks came in a case where a theft victim died after being drugged on a train, and it has now asked general managers of all railway zones across the country to ensure maximum penalties for such offenders.
The case relates to an incident from February 2009, when two men travelling from New Jalpaiguri to Sealdah on the Teesta Torsa Express boarded with unreserved tickets and paid off a TTE to secure berths. They were later drugged by two criminals who robbed them of their valuables. One of the victims, who had underlying health conditions, died after being administered the sedative.
