Patna, Jan. 19: JDU MLA Sarfraz Alam, booked for allegedly harassing a woman on the Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express on Sunday, today categorically denied having boarded the train that day and issued a warning to the complainants: “Main nahin chhodunga”. But his claim was countered by the Rajdhani superintendent, who confirmed Sarfraz’s presence on the train and has sent a report to the authorities on the legislator’s “misbehaviour” with passengers and railway staff.
“All the allegations levelled against me are baseless. This is a political conspiracy to malign me and the image of the party. I was not even present on the train and was in Patna on Sunday. How on earth did the man (complainant) come to know that I am an MLA? I am not going to let them off so easily as they have insulted me. I am taking legal opinion and will take strict action. Main nahin chhodunga (I will not leave them),” Sarfraz, who was in Araria, around 312km from Patna, told The Telegraph today. Sarfraz is the MLA from Jokihat in Araria district. His father Mohammed Taslimuddin, a former Union minister, is the RJD MP from Araria.
New Delhi businessman Indrapal Singh Bedi, who had filed the complaint against Sarfraz, scoffed at the claim.
“Whatever he is saying is a blatant lie. My wife and I were seated in our respective seats when this man came and took a seat. The train superintendent of the Rajdhani Express told us that he was ‘MLA Sahab’ and that he would
be travelling to Patna. We didn’t even want to know his name at that point of time. Midway into the journey, he went to the AC first class coach and then came back drunk and started misbehaving. When I asked him to control himself, he began to abuse me and my wife. As the train approached Patna Junction, the man touched my wife
inappropriately. I got angry and wanted to confront him. He sensed my mood and fled from the compartment.
I followed him but was stopped by two of his men. I immediately contacted the train superintendent and pressured him to tell me his identity.
The superintendent agreed and went to the AC first class coach where he had gone to meet a friend, who, I am told, is also a politician. The superintendent came back and told me his name and identity. I wrote a complaint explaining the incident and handed it to the RPF. The man (MLA) is a liar,” Bedi told The Telegraph.
Train superintendent Sahib Singh confirmed that Sarfraz had boarded the Rajdhani at Katihar.
“If the MLA is saying he wasn’t on the train, he is telling a lie. He had boarded the train at Katihar along with some men of his and had asked for a seat telling me that he was an MLA. I had a vacant seat (number 3) in coach A4 and offered that to him. VIPs have travel coupons with them or they tend to pay the fare while travelling. I offered him tea and then asked for his ticket. He looked at me and asked me to come later. I agreed and approached him after some time. At this, he got irritated and told me I was troubling him. At Barauni, I saw him talking to a man on the platform after which both went to their respective coaches. Sometime after the train started, I approached the MLA for the third time, at which he got really angry and asked me to go away. He said I should be careful and understand who I was talking to and that I should realise that I was new on this route. I got scared and decided not to approach him again. The fact that he misbehaved with the couple is true. I have written a detailed report about the incident and submitted it to my headquarters in Delhi,” Sahib Singh told The Telegraph.
Superintendent of police (Rail) P.N. Mishra said a team has been constituted under sub-inspector Rekha Kumari.
“The team has been directed to collect evidence from Mughalsarai, Barauni, Katihar and Delhi and report within 72 hours. The MLA has not told us that he was not travelling on the train. The team will go to Delhi and get a detailed statement of the woman. The CCTV camera footage at Katihar and Patna Junction is being checked,” Mishra said.
