Agartala, Sept 05: A ticket collector on a passenger train running between Agartala and Dharmanagar was assaulted by banana traders at Manu station, sparking concerns over safety and adherence to railway rules.
The incident occurred due to a dispute over bananas illegally loaded into train compartments, causing inconvenience to passengers. Despite complaints, banana traders from Bijartal area have been routinely loading bananas onto trains, leading to overcrowding and difficulties in boarding and alighting.
When passengers complained about the bananas, the ticket collector instructed the traders to remove them, citing railway rules. However, this angered the traders, including a tribal woman, who attacked the ticket collector at Manu station, pulling him off the train and assaulting him.
Police were immediately informed, and a police official confirmed that the altercation started over the issue of loading bananas onto the train.
The injured ticket collector stated that passengers had complained about the inconvenience caused by the bananas. When he tried to address the issue with the traders, he was attacked.
