‘Railways not responsible if passenger loses mobile phone’

Vadodara: Mobile phone stolen on the railway premises? But you can’t hold the railways responsible for your loss by arguing lack of surveillance on the railway premises. A Vadodara consumer forum has rejected a case filed by Jaskaran Gill, a resident of Chhani Road, against Western Railway.
Gill had filed a case at the Vadodara district consumer disputes redressal commission (VDCDRC) in July 2022.He said in his complaint that he had gone to Vadodara railway station in May 2022 for buying a train ticket when his mobile phone was stolen. Gill filed a complaint with the railway police and he said that there was a CCTV at the railway ticket counter that is installed to keep an eye on the passengers’ luggage.
But he was told that the CCTV wasn’t working following which he held the railways responsible and sought compensation of Rs 39,990 for his phone, Rs 1 lakh for mental harassment and Rs 25,000 for legal cost. The railways argued that the complainant doesn’t fall under the consumer category, he didn’t have any evidence that the phone was stolen from the ticket counter and it is the responsibility of the complainant to take care of his valuables.
The railways also said that the cameras are installed for security of the passengers and avoiding any untoward incident. The railway police are investigating the case and the phone is yet to be traced. The consumer forum rejected the case and said that there was no deficiency in the railway services and the complainant lost his phone due to his negligence.