A shocking incident at Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur Railway Station has gone viral, sparking outrage over a vendor's behavior and passenger safety at railway platforms. In a 34-second video widely circulated on social media, a samosa vendor is seen grabbing a passenger by the collar, dragging him away, and ultimately taking his smartwatch, reportedly worth around Rs 2,000, in exchange for a Rs 20 snack.
The incident took place on October 17 at Jabalpur station's platform number 5. A young passenger, after purchasing samosas from the vendor, attempted to pay digitally. However, due to a network issue, the payment did not go through. As the train began to move, the passenger offered to pay later and even clicked a photo of the vendor's QR code.
Enraged, the vendor held the passenger's collar, preventing him from boarding the train. Despite the young man's repeated pleas and attempts to make the digital payment, the vendor refused to let go until he handed over his smartwatch. Only after the passenger parted with the watch was he allowed to leave.
Eyewitnesses claimed the incident shocked fellow passengers, many of whom recorded the episode but hesitated to intervene.
Following the viral video, the Jabalpur Division Railway Manager (DRM) took immediate action. The accused vendor's license has been suspended, and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has registered a case and arrested him.
The Indian Railways has been flooded with passenger grievances, with more than 61 lakh complaints lodged in just two financial years (2023-24 and 2024-25). Data disclosed by the Railway Board in response to an RTI query filed by Chandra Shekhar Gaur of Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh, paints a grim picture of passenger experience, with security, cleanliness, and electrical failures dominating the list of complaints.
In 2024-25 alone, the Railways registered 32.08 lakh complaints, an 11 per cent jump from the 28.96 lakh complaints filed in 2023-24. While complaints about train services surged by 18 per cent, grievances related to railway stations fell by 21 per cent, reflecting mixed progress across the network.
Security emerged as the single-largest problem for passengers. Complaints related to safety in trains shot up by a staggering 64%, from 4.57 lakh in 2023-24 to over 7.50 lakh in 2024-25. Over the two years, security alone accounted for 12.07 lakh complaints, roughly one in every four complaints filed about trains.
