Kolkata Metro Railway denies allegations of racist remarks by staff at Howrah station

Kolkata: Amidst allegations against a Kolkata Metro Railway staff who objected to a commuter speaking in Bengali at the booking counter of Howrah station, Metro authorities on Wednesday claimed that the charges were found to be baseless following a "top official level" probe.

In a video posted on social media on December 17, a commuter alleged that a clerk at the booking counter objected when he responded in Bengali to the staffer's inquiry about his station and fare, and advised him to switch to Hindi.

The commuter claimed that the clerk told him, "If you continue to speak in Bengali, you can be labelled as a Bangladeshi, which you are apparently not." However, these claims were later dismissed as "baseless" by Metro Railway authorities.

In a video posted soon after the alleged incident, the commuter, joined by several others, is seen confronting the clerk. On camera, the clerk denied having uttered any such words.

Asserting that the Metro "has been catering to all sections of the multilingual society equally since its inception," the authorities said in a statement that the allegations were found to be untrue after a "primary investigation." "Based on the complaint against a Metro staff allegedly making racist remarks against a commuter on December 17, an officer-level investigation was ordered. After primary investigation, the allegation has been found baseless and untrue," the Metro statement read.

The statement further explained, "During investigation, CCTV footage was checked, as the entire booking office area of Howrah Metro station is under CCTV surveillance, while the on-duty RPF and other staff were interrogated as well. No photographic or oral evidence has been found to substantiate the allegation." Describing Metro Railway as the "Lifeline of Kolkata" since its inception, the statement reiterated, "It has been catering equally to all sections of the multilingual society."

However, Garga Chatterjee, general secretary of the Bengali advocacy fringe group Bangla Pokkho, claimed that the employee did indeed make "racist comments." He said, "Such incidents indicate the effort by the anti-Bengal lobby to marginalise Bengali-speaking people in the state." "Our outfit members gathered soon after the December 17 incident, and they were joined by Bengali commuters. When everyone protested against the anti-Bengali comments by the personnel concerned, he beat a hasty retreat amid the shouting of Jai Bangla slogans. We have come to know he hails from outside Bengal; he should respect our language and culture," Chatterjee claimed.

Chatterjee, who also posted similar comments on his X handle, warned that "if Bengalis in West Bengal do not immediately protest such affronts to their language and culture by people coming from outside, we, despite being Indian citizens, will lose our voice." Earlier, another video surfaced in which a woman commuter was allegedly heard asking a fellow traveler to speak in Hindi, and during the altercation, she was heard commenting that those speaking in Bengali are "Bangladeshis." The video, which was not verified by PTI, triggered an uproar on social media as netizens protested her remarks.