The regular struggle of travelling in the Mumbai local train got worse when a senior television journalist was attacked and physically assaulted by fellow commuters on Wednesday.

The victim was identified as Sudhir Shukla who works for a Hindi news channel. The incident happened on western line’s Mira Road station during the morning peak hours. Mr. Shukla tried to board an Andheri bound train from Mira road but was stopped by commuters saying there is no space in the bogey but Shukla boarded the train and faced hostility from fellow commuters, eight in number.

The group started to physically assault him and snatched his phone when he attempted to click their pictures. Shukla got injured in the brawl and was sent to a hospital for treatment.

“Once his treatment gets over, we will initiate the process of identifying the accused and a very strong action will be taken against them,” assured Purshottam Karad, DCP Western Railway GRP and also informed about a report of the case being registered in GRP unit at Andheri station.

The incident was condemned by Mumbai Press Club and Mumbai Crime Reporters’ Association. The former sought the arrest of all the accused. “These commuters are known for blocking others from travelling on trains during peak hours. The violence goes unchecked by the police despite repeated incidents,” said the press club.