'I do not deal with Muslims and Marathi people': ‘Bias’ caught on audio clip, Western Railway suspends TTE

MUMBAI: A train ticket examiner (TTE) was suspended after an audio clip of him making derogatory remarks about Muslim and Maharashtrian communities went viral on social media. The audio clip, purportedly of Ashish Pandey, a ticket checker, lasts 49 seconds, during which he is heard saying he avoids interacting with Muslims and Maharashtrians.

Pandey, employed by Western Railway and residing in Vikhroli, is heard telling the caller, "I do not deal with Muslims and Marathi people. I don't wish to give them any profit." He further said that he avoids taking taxis driven by Marathi or Muslim drivers, preferring only those from Uttar Pradesh.

Following widespread circulation of the clip, Western Railway suspended the TTE and initiated an investigation into the matter.

Western Railway's Divisional Railway Manager, Neeraj Verma, took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating, "We take this matter very seriously. The staff member making inappropriate comments about a religious community and Maharashtrians has been suspended pending an inquiry. A thorough investigation will be conducted, and appropriate action will follow based on the findings to uphold our standards and ensure the integrity of our services."

The audio clip, which was posted on X on Sept 22, garnered thousands of reposts and lakhs of views within hours, sparking outrage online.

Pandey's remarks were condemned by various groups, including the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena whose members confronted Pandey, and issued him stern warnings and forced him to apologise for insulting both the communities.

Sources said that the TTE was in conversation with a broker for a real estate deal. The deal did not work out as per his plans.

According to information available, the TTEwanted to exit the deal because of which he came with the hear arguments to back out of the plans.

The conversation was recorded by the person with whom he was in negotiation with the deal. Eventually the audio conversation was recorded to teach him a lesson.