Malappuram (Kerala) | A travelling ticket examiner was allegedly attacked and punched on the nose by a passenger for being questioned over travelling in a reserved coach without a valid ticket, police said on Monday.

Vikram Kumar Meena, a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) hailing from Rajasthan, suffered the physical assault while performing his duty aboard the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore Maveli Express on Sunday night.

The incident happened when the train was near Tirur in the district, the police said.

The incident happened weeks after a TTE was pushed out of a moving train by a drunk passenger in the Thrissur district of the state.

"The accused was travelling without a reserved ticket. He attacked the TTE for questioning travel without a valid ticket and asking him to move to the general compartment," an official of the Kozhikode Railway police said.

The TTE later sought treatment at a hospital here and lodged a complaint with the police against the passenger, who was taken into custody soon.

"The accused was identified as Stalin Bose, a native of Kanyakumari. His arrest was recorded today," the officer said.

The case was registered against him under various sections of the IPC, the police added.