Railway hawkers attack a RPF jawan in Malda on Monday. (Source: PTI) Railway hawkers attack a RPF jawan in Malda on Monday. (Source: PTI)

A railway Protection Force (RPF) constable posted at Malda Town station was lynched by a mob of hawkers on Monday morning following a pitched battle in the station, after a hawker was allegedly beaten up by four RPF jawans.

The deceased have been identified as Samarendra Samanta.

For last four months under the Swachch Bharat initiative, no hawkers are being allowed to sell their products at the Malda Town station.

However, on Monday morning, a railway hawker was found selling roti-sabzi at a platform. He was reportedly doing brisk business when the Howrah-bound Shatabdi Express chugged into the station.

The RPF jawans reportedly pounced on him and started beating him up. They allegedly hit him with the butt of a rifle and the hawker, bleeding profusely, had to be admitted to the Malda District Hospital.

The injured hawker lived close to the railway station. As the news of the attack spread, hawkers and other locals gathered at the station.

The RPF camp office at the station was surrounded by a mob of around 300 to 400 hawkers, who started brick batting the camp office.

The RPF men were soon outnumbered and they opened fire in the air to disperse the crowd.

The angry mob, however, raided the camp and managed to catch hold of Samanta and began to beat him up with sticks and bricks. The RPF men fired 13 rounds in the air to disperse the mob but failed. Samanta died on the spot. The situation came under control, as the West Bengal Police forces arrived to the aid of the RPF men.

Subal Ghosh, a hawker union leader, alleged that the attack was unprovoked and the RPF jawans manhandled him brutally.

S S Tiwari, a RPF commandant, however, claimed that RPF had not assaulted any hawker. “The RPF was trying to impose restrictions on vending at the platforms as per the directives issued by the Railway authorities… During the attack, the hawkers ransacked and demolished the IRTC outlet at the station,” he added.

Malda Divisional Railway Manager Rajesh Agarwal said the state government has been informed of the incident and legal action is being initiated against the hawkers.

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