Cirebon – A ticket collector was attacked aboard a Jakarta-bound express train on Sunday after he allegedly told a member of the Indonesian Military (TNI) that he wasn't allowed to sit in business class without first purchasing a ticket.

Train operator Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) has requested an investigation into allegations after an unidentified solider struck the ticket collector in the face.

"[The] Cirebon express train was traveling from Tegal to Jakarta, and every time it passed a station there were ticket checks," Lukman, the ticket collector, told Antara. "When I asked the military member for the ticket, he hit my nose and left cheek."

Lukman had already warned the soldier that he did not have a ticket for business class, he said.

Incidents of violence instigated by members of the TNI are a common occurrence aboard Indonesian trains, KAI Cirebon branch spokesman Sumarsono said on Monday.

The ticket collector underwent a medical examination after the attack, Sumarsono said. "Lukman has been hospitalized after being examined," he said. "He hopes that such abuses won't happen to him again."

The case should be investigated, said KAI Cirebon vice president Berlin Barus, citing the fact that KAI has agreement with the TNI to give ticket give a 50 percent discount to all members of the military.

"It lightens their burden, but regulation that they should buy ticket should be obeyed," Berlin said.