Seating dispute sparks brawl on local train in Thane; 3 commuters injured

Thane, Jul 16 (PTI) Three passengers were injured in a brawl over a seating dispute aboard a local train in Maharashtra's Thane district shortly after midnight on Thursday, police said. The incident occurred in the luggage compartment of the Ambernath-bound suburban train, Kalyan Government Railway Police's (GRP) senior inspector Archana Dusane told PTI. A preliminary inquiry by the GRP found that head injuries sustained by two passengers during the scuffle were caused by a metal 'kada' (bangle) worn by one of them, and not by any sharp weapon, the Central Railway said. The altercation took place at around 12.30 am while the Parel-Ambernath train was in motion, the Central Railway said in a statement. As per railway officials, the scuffle erupted among three passengers, of whom two were seriously injured. After being alerted, the GRP and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel rushed to attend to the train upon its arrival at Kalyan railway station. A probe indicated that a heated argument broke out between the commuters over sharing a seat while the train was moving between Dombivli and Thakurli stations, Dusane said. The argument escalated into a physical clash, leaving three individuals, identified as Raju Waghe (19), Sahil Khandare (19), and Pritesh Kanojia (31), injured, she said. During the preliminary inquiry conducted by the GRP, it was found that neither of the injured persons was carrying any sharp weapon. "The injury was caused when the metal bangle worn on one person's wrist struck the other person's head during the scuffle," the CR's statement said. The injured persons were administered first aid and shifted on stretchers to the Rukminibai Hospital in Kalyan for treatment. One of them, who had sustained a more serious head injury, was later referred to the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital (Sion Hospital) in Mumbai, it said. In another incident, a man was taken into custody after a video surfaced on social media showing him running while carrying a wooden stick on a platform at Kurla railway station on Wednesday night, the Central Railway said. The man's act triggered panic among passengers, following which security personnel immediately apprehended him. During a preliminary inquiry, the man, identified as Sajid Abdul Karim Chaudhary (49), appeared to be mentally unstable. He is currently in the custody of the GRP, which is conducting further inquiry and taking necessary legal action, the Central Railway said. PTI COR KK GK