Railways minister Nurul Islam Sujan on Sunday said that he was embarrassed over the incident of Thursday’s suspension of the travelling ticket examiner of Bangladesh Railway after fining three of the minister’s relatives who had been travelling without tickets.
‘I’m embarrassed,’ the minister said while responding to reporters at Rail Bhaban in Dhaka.
The TTE, Shafiqul Islam, was suspended hours after the railways minister’s wife Shammi Aktar complained to Pakshey divisional commercial officer over phone that the TTE had misbehaved with passengers.
The minister on Saturday claimed that the travellers were not his relatives.
Nurul Islam Sujan on Sunday, however, admitted that the travellers were his relatives and explained that he, till Saturday, was not aware that the passengers were his relatives.
‘My wife did not ask for suspension but she did lodge a complaint after knowing that her relatives faced misbehaviour,’ he said,
‘As a passenger, she can complain but, as the wife of a minister, she cannot complain,’ added the minister.
‘So, I think that the suspension order was not right and, that is why, we decided to withdraw it,’ he further said and added that they had also decided to issue a show cause notice to the Pakshey divisional commercial officer over the issue of suspending the TTE.
