Two Pantry Staff Stabbed by Unauthorised Vendors on Bengaluru-Delhi Train
Two railway pantry staff members were injured after being stabbed by a group of unauthorised vendors onboard the Yeshwantpur-Hazrat Nizamuddin Sampark Kranti Express. The violent clash broke out at around 7 p.m. on Monday after the train, which originates from Yeshwantpur in Bengaluru, had just crossed Haveri.
The altercation began when 40-year-old pantry worker Dhirendra Singh objected to an unauthorised vendor selling masala peanuts inside an AC coach of the train. According to Dhirendra’s subsequent complaint to the Government Railway Police (GRP), approximately five other men, believed to be part of the same vendor group, rushed to support the peanut seller.
The situation quickly escalated into violence when the pantry manager, Jitendra Singh Tomar, arrived at the scene. The suspects drew sharp knives from their pockets and attacked the railway staff.
Jitendra Singh Tomar stated that the men attempted to stab Dhirendra. While Dhirendra managed to narrowly escape a direct blow, he sustained a cut on his neck and began bleeding. Another pantry staff member, Lokendra, was stabbed near his left shoulder, which resulted in heavy bleeding.
According to the manager, the attackers did not stop there. They beat up the rest of the pantry team and snatched goods from one of the staff members.
The group of unauthorised vendors managed to escape the train when it paused at Karjagi station for a railway crossing.
Following the incident, the GRP registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the unidentified men, who are believed to be based in Haveri. Sarah Fathima, the Superintendent of Police for GRP Karnataka, confirmed that a police team is actively searching for the suspects. She added that the staff members who suffered minor injuries have since returned home.
The incident highlights ongoing safety concerns regarding illegal vendors on trains. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) recently launched a national crackdown to address the issue, which included taking down 14 illegal websites earlier this month. Locally, the South Western Railway’s Bengaluru division collected approximately Rs 1.5 lakh in fines from unauthorised vendors during a special enforcement drive in May.
