Tension gripped Raiganj station in North Dinajpur on Saturday noon after officials of the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) allegedly branded an Army jawan as a ‘Rohingya’ and beat him up.
The victim, identified as Premananda Mahato, a resident of Lakkhania village in Raiganj, claimed he was humiliated and assaulted in full public view before being taken into GRP custody. The incident has raised questions about alleged high-handedness by Railway security forces and the practice of racial or ethnic labelling. TMC members plan a protest on the issue against GRP and RPF officials in Raiganj.
According to Mahato, he is posted in the Coimbatore sector of Tamil Nadu and had come to Raiganj station to help his mother and two sisters board a Katihar-bound train to Sonali in Bihar. “My mother left a bag on the platform before boarding the train . As I went to hand it over to her, some RPF and GRP officials suddenly called me ‘Rohingya’ and started beating me. When I protested, they took me to the GRP lock-up and assaulted me further. I will lodge a case against the officials,” he said.
The incident sparked outrage among locals and political leaders. Tapan Nag, a Trinamool Congress leader from Raiganj, condemned the alleged attack, saying: “We are shocked that both GRP and RPF branded an Army jawan as Rohingya and assaulted him. We strongly condemn this and will launch a protest.” However, GRP officials denied the assault allegations. Bachchu Orao, GRP Inspector at Raiganj station, stated, “The youth was boarding a running train. When RPF and GRP personnel stopped him, he abused them using filthy language.
He was detained to verify his identity. He claimed to be an Army jawan but did not show any ID. After interrogation, he was released. No further assault took place. We have started an investigation.”
