Retd govt official, daughter booked for assault and molestation on train

Lucknow: An FIR has been registered against retired deputy director of the Uttar Pradesh social welfare department, his daughter and three others in connection with an alleged incident of molestation and assault involving a 59-year-old woman passenger.The case has been lodged by the Government Railway Police (GRP), Charbagh, Lucknow against Alakh Niranjan Mishra, his daughter, Aparna Mishra alias Pragya Mishra, Shashwat, Ayush and Shivang.Police have invoked Sections 74, 115(2) and 191(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Section 74 pertains to assault or use of criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, while the other provisions relate to voluntarily causing hurt and rioting.According to the complainant, the incident began on Sunday night when she was travelling to Lucknow by train from Muzaffarpur Junction. Mishra, who had boarded the train from Dholi station, was travelling on berth number 19, while the woman was allotted berth number 21. The complainant alleged that Mishra was intoxicated and misbehaved with her during the journey.The woman further alleged that when she complained to the TTE, Mishra claimed to be a railway magistrate in an attempt to influence railway staff.

She subsequently contacted the railway emergency helpline 139. A GRP team, including a woman constable, boarded the train at Hajipur station and reportedly warned the accused.The dispute escalated after the train reached Charbagh railway station in Lucknow at around 11 am on Monday. The complainant alleged that Aparna, who was waiting on platform 6, along with three men, slapped her multiple times.Senior divisional commercial manager of Lucknow Northern Railway, Samarth Gupta, said apart from the criminal case registered by the GRP, railway authorities also imposed a fine of Rs 2,420 on four individuals for entering platform without tickets and boarding coach A2 of train number 11124.GRP, Lucknow, SP Rohit Mishra, said a case had been registered against Alakh Niranjan, his daughter and three others.The complainant also alleged that Aparna attempted to falsely implicate her son, who had come to receive her at the station and intervened during the assault, by pulling out buttons of her shirt. She claimed her son recorded the incident on his mobile phone.Alakh Niranjan retired last year from his service.