- Bribe Fighter
- 11 years ago
- 4036 views
Big scene in moving train for not paying bribe
I was traveling to Mumbai. It was evening when the Train crossed Jabalpur. My ticket was in wait-list. According to the rule, the wait-list ticket holders are not supposed to travel in reserved compartments, but this is restricted to the unavailability of the berths. I discovered that there were several vacant berths in the reserved class and so, I found one and was sleeping there. At around 12.30 AM when the train moved from Itarsi, a TTE came to my berth and asked me for ticket. I showed him my wait-list ticket. He was under impression that I am an uneducated laborer as I usually look while any train journey in India. He first told me to vacate the compartment. Upon my denial, he asked me for a bribe of 500 INR to for allocation of same berth where I was sleeping. I requested him to allot me the berth without a bribe as the compartment was half vacant, he started to teach me wrong rules thinking I am an uneducated person. When I resisted to move from the berth, he started to threaten me and got my collar. I was angry too and I too pushed him back and in the reaction, he hit me on my left ear and it started to bleed. Then, my wrath busted too and I punched him on his face twice. It was 1.30 AM and the rest of the passengers too came to the boxing ring in the moving train. When other people started asking about the matter upon mediation, he blamed me that I was offering him a bribe and he played an honest official refusing and resisting it. He still had the same impression of me being an uneducated Indian laborer who usually is unable to defend himself, especially in war of words.
When I saw some wrong accusations on me, I then disclosed my identity that I am not an uneducated person but a scientist cum freelance journalist. I then explained the whole story in detail to the public present there. I was lucky enough to get a witness of entire event who was actually a worker and had just paid bribe to the very same TTE before I was asked for the bribe. That was a moment when everyone in the compartment started to spill fire on him. He was resisting to acknowledge and accept the misdeed he committed which once again fired my anger and I slapped him on his face tightly in front of public. Everyone was asking me to lodge a complaint against him under acts of IPC and railway. He then started to beg for forgiveness and started to reason out his family and children. It took me some time to calm down and agree to listen to him. I do not believe in practice of violence, but that was a moment when I was not in a right state of mind to accept his demand of bribe and eventually violated my own rules upon agitation. I can't explain the way he was begging for forgiveness. I then made him take an oath in front of all the public there that he will not do any such thing to anybody in his life. Even if out of temptation, if he feels committing something of this sort, he must remember this incident and the possible consequences. I reminded him that the day is gone when an average looking person use to be uneducated and flexible enough to be told and mould with falsified rules. He then allocated me a berth and came to see me early morning before getting down at Bhusawal. He requested me once again for not to file a complaint, I could feel the surrender in his emotions. I promised him that I will not complaint against him, provided he should promise me to practice honesty for his whole life. I kept my promise. I know his name, but I can't break me promise. Next morning in the train, most of those passengers who witnessed the scene last night came to my berth and asked me to file the complaint and offered me their help at Mumbai, but I urged them to forget everything except the result and thanked them for their support and offer.