Bitten by rats in an AC coach of Indian Railways, a former SAIL chief engineer has decided to sue the ministry seeking damages worth Rs 10 lakh.

PC Sinha, who’s the resident of Ranchi in Jharkhand, was reportedly bitten by rats in the the AC first class coach of the Hatia-Howrah Kriya Yoga Express on 30 December 2015.

According to media reports, Sinha was on his way to a getaway for new year celebration. But, Sinha says he woke up with a sharp pain in the middle of the night.

“A sharp pain in the hand woke me up. I knew I was bitten by something. I could see the mark on the little finger of my right hand. First, I thought it was a snake and woke Alka (his wife) up. In terrible panic, we hunted for the reptile under pillows, in the blanket and beneath the berth. It was too dark and we didn’t wish to disturb our co-passengers, so gave up after a while. We decided to hold on until daybreak,” Sinha was quoted by The Telegraph newspaper.

At around 4 am, his co-passenger too woke up screaming. It was at that time, when they spotted big rats underneath their berths.

They reportedly approached the TTE, who was ‘at a loss for words.’

He said, “At a time when Narendra Modi is tom-tomming his swachhta campaigns countrywide, my experience calls for his attention and that of others. I have sought Rs 10 lakh as compensation from the Indian Railways. I expect the authorities to act soon. If they do not respond, I will move court.”

Modi had pledged to transform the facilities in the trains and hiked the fares on more than one occasion for this purpose.

The railway minister has often been hailed by his supporters to have taken the railways in the direction of a complete revolution. Sinha and his fellow passengers’ experience pose several questions to these claims of Modi government.