MP, 6 others had no ticket to ride

New Delhi: Six passengers accompanying Samajwadi Party MP SPS Baghel were on Tuesday caught while travelling in Jhelum Express on passes issued to four other MPs.

"A total of six passengers, including three women were caught by the Railways Vigilance Department in a raid in Jhelum Express who were accompanying Baghel," a Railway Spokesman said.

"While Baghel was travelling on his MP pass, others were travelling on the passes issued to four MPS -- Toofani Saroj, Raghuraj Singh Shakya and Dharmendra Yadav (all SP) and Dushyant Singh (BJP)", he added.

Though Baghel had booked his ticket in 3AC class, he was travelling in 2AC, thus violating the law. Six others were also travelling in 3AC. Baghel paid a fine of Rs 8,937 for all the passengers.

The violaters were caught after Vigilance Department of the Railways conducted a check on the train during its Ambala-New Delhi journey at 0615 hrs (IST) on Tuesday morning.

Baghel first threatened the Railway staff with dire consequences but later cooperated and paid the fine before getting down at New Azadpur station, instead of New Delhi.

Strict action is being recommended against the Railway staff for their connivance with these offenders of Railway rule and defrauding it with thousands of Rupees.

The tickets were booked from Passenger Reservation System at Parliament House, New Delhi, he said.

On June 18, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Raghunath Jha's wife, son and his spouse were detained by railway authorities in Mughalsarai when they were caught travelling unauthorisedly in AC First Class coach of Punjab mail but were let off the next day after paying a fine of Rs 3,400.