Man takes stranger's seat, refuses to move

Jinan railway police have started an investigation into a case in which a man forcibly occupied another passenger's seat on a train from Jinan to Beijing on August 21, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

The man sat in a young woman's seat instead of taking his own and refused to move, even after train staff and on-board police became involved.

The man claimed that he couldn't stand up, although he denied he was drunk. When asked why, he said he didn't know and that he couldn't stand up even after arriving in Beijing. He asked staff to find a wheelchair for him.

He continued to refuse to take his own seat, which was not far away, and asked the female passenger to either stand, take his original seat, or go to the dining car.

Train staff were forced to arrange a seat in business-class for the woman.

A video of the incident was released online, sparking fury among Chinese netizens who urged the railway department to place the man on their blacklist.

According to relevant regulations, occupying other people's seats is considered disruption of public order, meaning on-board police could have taken measures after the violator refused to cooperate, a staffer from Jinan railway customer service said.

According to People's Daily, the man uploaded a video on August 22 to show his regret and apology for his behavior to the female passenger and the public.

Jinan railway police said that they are investigating and will announce the results in due time.