A 75-year-old retired woman lawyer from Mumbai has formally accused officials at Valsad railway station of displaying shockingly rude behaviour towards her, a senior citizen. The incident, which occurred on November 23, led to a written complaint being filed in the station's grievance book on Wednesday, a full 24 days after the distressing encounter.
Sequence of Events at the Ticket Counter
Jyotsna Damaniya, who recently relocated to Valsad, visited the railway station on November 23 with a simple request. She wanted to purchase a train ticket for the following day to avoid last-minute hassle while travelling with luggage. However, her attempt was met with an immediate and rude refusal from the staff at the ticket window. When she politely asked them to consider a solution for a senior citizen, the officials' behaviour only worsened.
"It was my first time alone at Valsad railway station to buy a ticket," Damaniya told TOI. "To avoid the tension of buying a ticket at the last moment with luggage, I wanted to buy one a day in advance. The staff refused and behaved rudely when I asked them to find a way out for a senior citizen."
Second Round of Harassment Over Complaint Book
Following the initial altercation, Damaniya approached a senior official at the station to report the misconduct. This official advised her to formally document her grievance in the station's complaint book. What should have been a straightforward process turned into another episode of harassment.
"I then met a senior official who suggested I submit my grievance in writing in the complaint book. I went to the office concerned where I faced rude behaviour again," Damaniya stated. The officials initially refused to even provide her with the complaint book. When she persisted, the situation escalated dramatically.
"When I insisted, one officer started shouting at me," she recounted. "He came close and threatened me saying he would call the police as I was not a bona fide passenger as I was not carrying a ticket while inside the railway station." Intimidated by this threat, Damaniya left the station that day without registering her complaint.
Formal Complaint Filed After 24 Days
Undeterred and seeking justice, Jyotsna Damaniya returned to Valsad railway station on Wednesday to finally lodge her official complaint. She submitted a detailed written account in the station's complaint book, explicitly describing the rude behaviour by the officials and demanding appropriate action be taken against them.
This case highlights significant concerns regarding the treatment of elderly passengers within the Indian Railways system. It raises questions about the implementation of protocols meant to assist senior citizens and the accountability of railway staff when dealing with passenger grievances. The delay of 24 days in filing the complaint also underscores the fear and hesitation passengers often feel when confronting authority figures, even when they are clearly in the right.
