Samosa Vendor Seizes Passenger's Smartwatch After Failed Digital Payment at Jabalpur Railway Station

Eyewitnesses reported that fellow passengers were stunned by the incident.

A disturbing incident at Jabalpur Railway Station in Madhya Pradesh has gone viral online, generating widespread condemnation regarding vendor conduct and traveler safety at railway platforms. A 34-second video circulating across social media platforms shows a samosa vendor aggressively grabbing a passenger by the collar, forcibly pulling him away, and ultimately confiscating his smartwatch, reportedly valued at approximately Rs 2,000, as payment for a Rs 20 snack.

The confrontation occurred on October 17 at platform number 5 of Jabalpur station. After purchasing samosas, a young traveler attempted to complete payment digitally. However, network connectivity issues prevented the transaction from processing successfully. As the train prepared to depart, the passenger offered to settle the payment later and even photographed the vendor's QR code for future reference.

Infuriated by the situation, the vendor physically restrained the passenger by his collar, preventing him from boarding his departing train. Despite the young man's continuous attempts to complete the digital payment and repeated pleas to be released, the vendor refused to relent until the passenger surrendered his smartwatch. Only after relinquishing the device was the traveler permitted to leave.

According to witnesses, the altercation left fellow passengers shocked, with many recording the incident but reluctant to intervene.

Following the video's widespread circulation, the Jabalpur Division Railway Manager (DRM) implemented immediate consequences. The vendor's operating license has been suspended, and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has filed charges and taken the accused into custody.

Indian Railways has been inundated with passenger grievances, recording more than 61 lakh complaints during just two financial years (2023-24 and 2024-25). Information released by the Railway Board responding to an RTI inquiry submitted by Chandra Shekhar Gaur from Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh, reveals concerning trends in passenger experiences, with security issues, cleanliness concerns, and electrical failures dominating complaint categories.

During 2024-25 alone, Railways documented 32.08 lakh complaints, representing an 11 percent increase from the 28.96 lakh grievances filed in 2023-24. While train service complaints increased by 18 percent, station-related grievances decreased by 21 percent, indicating varied improvement across the network.

Security emerged as passengers' primary concern. Safety-related complaints on trains increased dramatically by 64 percent, rising from 4.57 lakh in 2023-24 to over 7.50 lakh in 2024-25. Throughout the two-year period, security concerns constituted 12.07 lakh complaints, representing approximately one in every four train-related grievances filed.