Mumbai: Television and web series actress Antara Banerjee was arrested following an altercation with Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel aboard the Aravali Express.
The ‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’ actor, who was travelling from Mumbai to Surat for a shoot, allegedly entered a reserved air-conditioned coach despite holding a sleeper-class ticket.
The situation escalated after a passenger asked Banerjee to vacate a reserved seat, Free Press Journal reported. When she refused, the passenger informed ticket collector Harikesh Tripathi, who then alerted the RPF.
According to the FIR lodged against Banerjee, RPF assistant sub-inspector Yaminikant Mishra and constable Rajesh Kumar intervened in the dispute between two passengers.
According to police, the model-actress abused the officials and got violent during the confrontation which took place between Borivali and Dahanu stations, around 9.30 pm on Wednesday.
Mishra alleged that the actress then undressed took out a razor blade and attacked him. Both the sub-inspector and actress were injured.
After RPF personnel secured the doors of the AC coach, Banerjee tried to escape by breaking the glass. She was eventually deboarded at Dahanu station and handed over to the Government Railway Police (GRP).
The scuffle and argument continued for an hour, leaving other passengers shaken.
Borivali GRP inspector Kunda Gavade said the actress was asked to contact relatives or seek legal counsel, but she refused and demanded that she be arrested. “She calmed down after the FIR was registered,” Gavade said.
Banerjee was booked on August 13 for offences including endangering safety, causing grievous harm to public servants, assault and intentional insult.
She was served a notice and released on bail.
The Kolkata-born model-actress, who moved to Mumbai to pursue acting, began her career with an appearance in the crime-based series ‘Gumrah: End of Innocence’. She made her Bollywood debut in the 2014 comedy film ‘The Shaukeens’ and featured in an episodic role in ‘Savdhaan India’.
She returned to television in 2016 with ‘Badho Bahu’, and subsequently appeared in shows including ‘Laal Ishq’, ‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’, ‘Kavach 2’ and ‘Divya Drishti’.