Janata Dal (United) MLA Gopal Mandal was spotted roaming in his undergarments while travelling on a train on Thursday.
According to the reports, JDU MLA Gopal Mandal travelled from Patna to New Delhi on the Tejas Rajdhani Express when he was seen roaming in his undergarments in a train compartment.
As the JDU MLA began to roam inside the train indecently without his clothes on, the co-passengers felt uncomfortable and asked him to wear his clothes. One of the co-passengers, Prahad Paswan, said he raised a complaint about Gopal Mandal when he saw him roaming on the train in his undergarments. Paswan said he was not aware that the man was an MLA in Bihar.
As co-passengers objected to his behaviour, Mandal rose in anger and allegedly created a ruckus on the train. The JDU MLA abused the passengers and also threatened to “shoot them”. Paswan alleged that Gopal Mandal abused other passengers who objected to his behaviour and even tried to beat them up.
As Gopal Mandal threatened to shoot the passengers, Paswan raised a complaint with the RPF officials. The JDU MLA was then shifted to another coach of the train, Paswan said.
JDU MLA defends his action, says he was suffering from stomach issues
Meanwhile, the Bihar MLA has defended his action, saying that his stomach was upset during the journey.
“I was only wearing the undergarments as my stomach was upset during the journey,” said Gopal Mandal, adding that he only speaks the truth.
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1433648851986960389?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwGopal Mandal’s friend Kunal Singh came to the rescue of JDU MLA, saying that Mandal is a diabetes patient and was travelling to Delhi for some “urgent business”.
Kunal Singh said Gopal Mandal could not go to the washroom in his clothes due to his weight, and hence, he wears lungi and gamchha when he uses the washroom.
“After boarding the train, he [Gopal Mandal] wanted to go to the washroom. He was in a hurry, so he went in his underwear. At this point in time, one passenger spoke with Mandal with rudeness. The MLA did not say anything at that time but spoke with the passenger after returning from the washroom,” Kunal Singh said.
Kunal Singh also rejected allegations levelled by Prahad Paswan, saying the MLA threatened to shoot the passengers.
Though the MLA’s justification was vague, it can be speculated that he might not have wanted the hassle of stripping out of his trousers each time he rushes to the toilet, as he claims of an upset stomach, but the exact details of the incident are unclear.
The situation was brought to control by the RPF and TTE officials, who persuaded both parties and pacified the matter, said CPRO East Central Railway.