On the Delhi-Bhopal Vande Bharat Express last Thursday, a passenger was allegedly attacked after refusing to swap seats with a BJP leader. The incident involved BJP MLA Rajeev Singh from Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi and has drawn attention on social media after a video of the assault went viral.

According to reports, Rajeev Singh was traveling with his wife and son. While the MLA had a seat towards the back of the coach, his family was seated at the front next to another passenger who was heading to Bhopal.

When Singh requested the man to change his seat so the family could sit together, the passenger refused. The disagreement did not end there.

The situation reportedly got worse when the train reached Jhansi. A group of men, believed to be associated with the MLA, boarded the train and physically attacked the man. A video circulating online shows around six men punching the passenger and even hitting him with slippers. The man is seen bleeding from the nose, with his clothes soaked in blood.

Vipul Kumar Srivastava, the Railway Superintendent of Police in Jhansi, confirmed that the fight began over a seat change.

“Appropriate action will be taken based on CCTV footage,” he told reporters.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) in Jhansi said they received a complaint from Rajeev Singh and have registered a non-cognizable report (NCR).

In his complaint, Singh claimed that the co-passenger acted indecently towards his family. As reported by PTI, he stated:

"While travelling with his wife and son, a co-passenger behaved indecently. When objected, the man allegedly misbehaved with his family and later called others at Jhansi station, who also behaved in an abusive manner."

Authorities have begun reviewing CCTV footage to understand exactly what happened. As of now, no arrests have been reported. The identity of the assaulted passenger has not yet been officially released.

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