Thane, April 11, 2025 – A routine complaint about “low quantity, high price” food on the Gitanjali Express turned ugly Wednesday when IRCTC pantry staff allegedly assaulted passengers and held a social worker hostage for over an hour near Badnera. The chaos, ending only with Railway Protection Force (RPF) intervention, has reignited outrage over train catering woes, with Kalyan GRP filing a case against seven staffers.
Satyajit Burman, an Ambarnath-based social worker returning from Kolkata, stepped in when three passengers—Maidul Mallik, Ashiqul Haq, and Najrul Sheikh—clashed with pantry workers over skimpy, overpriced meals. “They demanded I weigh it myself,” Burman told Times of India. Inside the pantry car, staff snatched his phone, beat him, and locked him in—others thrashed the trio, forcing them back to their seats. RPF freed Burman at Badnera; he filed charges under BNS Act at Kalyan GRP Thursday.
Named accused—Ranjeet Behera, Suman Karan, and five unidentified—face heat as food quality gripes spike. “Contractors loot, and whistleblowers get hit,” activist Samir Zaveri told The Indian Express. Complaints soared 500% from 1,192 in 2022 to 6,948 in 2024 (Business Standard, Aug 2024)—yet only three contracts axed. Passengers on X fume, “IRCTC’s a scam—stale food, now fists!”
The Howrah-Mumbai train’s pantry woes echo a grim trend—123 stale food reports on Vande Bharat alone last year (CNBC-TV18). IRCTC’s helpline (1800-111-321) and fines—Rs 5,000 to Rs 5 lakh—haven’t curbed it. “No system checks edibility,” an expert said. For Burman, bruised but vocal, it’s personal: “This isn’t service—it’s thuggery.” Will railways clean up, or keep serving punches with the rice?
