Khaberni - A controversial incident occurred at Gwalior railway station in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, when a samosa vendor assaulted a passenger and stole his smartwatch following a failed electronic payment during a train stop.
The incident took place on platform number 5 at the station, when a young passenger bought a samosa meal for 20 rupees and tried to pay using his mobile phone. However, a poor internet connection prevented the transaction from completing, and as the train began to move, the passenger informed the vendor that he would pay later, taking a picture of the payment code as proof.
The situation angered the vendor who grabbed the passenger by the collar of his shirt and prevented him from boarding the train, despite the latter's repeated attempts to make the payment.
The altercation ended with the passenger being forced to hand over his smartwatch, valued at about 2000 rupees, in exchange for the meal, before he was allowed to leave.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that the scene surprised other passengers, who only filmed the incident without intervening, while the half-minute video spread widely on social media, sparking widespread criticism of the vendor's behavior and concerns about passenger safety at railway stations.
The station manager in Gwalior promptly suspended the vendor's license, and the Railway Protection Force opened an official investigation and detained the suspect.
Recent data released by the Indian Railway Council reported that over 6.1 million complaints from passengers were recorded over the past two fiscal years, focusing on issues of security, cleanliness, and electrical faults.
