Passenger attacked in Ranaghat local after protesting against armed youths

Arijit Biswas, a youth from Kanchrapara, sustained injuries after being assaulted by a group of armed youths on a Ranaghat local train, following his intervention in an attack on an elderly couple. The incident occurred on Friday evening when Biswas boarded the first coach of the Ranaghat local from Kanchrapara station at approximately 6 pm. The situation escalated after some youths, visibly armed, boarded the train from Kankinara station and began jumping around erratically inside the coach.

When an elderly couple protested their unruly behavior, the youths turned violent, severely beating the elderly man and subsequently assaulting the elderly woman. Arijit Biswas, along with other fellow passengers, joined in a vehement protest against the attackers. As the train reached Barrackpore station, one of the assailants, described as a man wearing a black fatwa and lungi, struck Arijit’s left hand with a chopper while getting down.

Arijit Biswas immediately disembarked at Barrackpore, foregoing his intended destination, to lodge a complaint with the railway police. He alleged that the railway police initially refused to register his complaint. However, an FIR was eventually lodged with the intervention of the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Dum Dum Railway Police. The incident highlights concerns about passenger safety and the response of railway authorities to such violent acts on suburban trains.