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The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has suspended the employees involved in the incident. IRCTC also imposed a huge fine of ₹5 lakh on the service provider after the video of the incident went viral on social media.
“The matter has been taken very seriously. Four employees of the service provider have been detained by RPF officials for further investigation. The ID cards of all four employees have been deactivated and destroyed. A show cause notice has been issued to the service provider for termination of the contract and a heavy fine of ₹5 lakh has been imposed.” IRCTC said in a post on Twitter,
An argument broke out between two groups of IRCTC pantry staff which quickly turned into a violent clash. The altercation, captured in a 60-second video that has gone viral on social media, shows a catering staff member throwing dustbins, waving a leather belt and assaulting a catering staff member on platform number 7 of Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station.
In the video, a man can be seen taking off his belt and swinging it at a co-worker, while others respond with their bare fists, leading to a brawl. At the end of the video, an employee can be seen putting the dustbin back in its place on the platform. Meanwhile, passengers can be seen either filming the incident or watching in shock.
There was widespread exchange of punches, slaps and kicks as chaos broke out. The incident was compared to the infamous “Battle of Baghpat” street fight in Uttar Pradesh, which became a global internet sensation in 2021.
“Vande Bharat catering staff going at each other in full ‘Battle of Baghpat’ mode. Looks like this is the new service-improvement model, belting and punching each other before departure so they calm down and not slapping any passenger who dares question the overcharging,” says an ex. user Shared.
According to India Today, officials said the dispute quickly turned into chaos after a verbal argument between the pantry staff over where to keep the water container inside the train.
“The issue was over keeping a water container inside the train. A verbal argument escalated into a fight,” a Delhi Police officer said, according to an India Today report.
According to Delhi Police, the two parties later reached a settlement and no formal complaint was filed. However, the Railway Protection Force filed an FIR on October 17 under section 194(2) of the Indian Penal Code (Fights).
Railway officials expressed concern that the controversy, which occurred just before the scheduled departure, could affect the reputation of high-end services like Vande Bharat. Passengers on the platform were reportedly shocked as some people started recording the incident.