A consumer commission in Punjab has directed Northern Railway to pay ₹80,000 in compensation to a couple whose handbag containing a gold mangalsutra, cash and other valuables was allegedly stolen during a journey on the Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Pathankot held the Railways guilty of deficiency in service after finding lapses in passenger assistance and inconsistencies in the railway administration’s defence. The order was passed by Commission President Kulwinder Singh Pannu and Member Raj Kumar Shukla.
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According to the complaint, the couple and their child were travelling in a reserved 3AC coach on December 14, 2021. During the journey, they discovered that their handbag, containing a 15-gram gold mangalsutra worth around ₹65,000, ₹5,000 in cash and a bank passbook, had been stolen.
The complainants alleged that they immediately searched for the coach attendant but found no one on duty. They then informed a Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and the travelling ticket examiner (TTE). After reaching New Delhi, they registered a Zero FIR and later approached the consumer commission, alleging negligence and deficiency in service.
Northern Railway denied the allegations, arguing that the incident had not been reported to the concerned station authorities and that there was no deficiency in service.
However, the commission noted that the Railways’ own records contradicted this stand. Documents produced during the proceedings confirmed that an RPF escort had attended to the passengers after they reported the theft and was aware that they intended to lodge an FIR upon arrival in New Delhi.
The commission also observed that the Railways failed to produce the duty roster or any evidence showing that a coach attendant was present during the incident. Holding that the best available evidence had been withheld, the panel drew an adverse inference against the Railways.
Partly allowing the complaint, the commission directed Northern Railway to pay ₹70,000 towards the loss suffered by the couple and an additional ₹10,000 as compensation for the mental harassment and agony caused by the incident.
