Frustrated by delay, Mangaluru Express passengers vent rage on railway property

THANE: A 25-year-old courier severely hurt his hand when he smashed it in rage through the Nilje railway station master’s office on Sunday. The youngster, Rutik Ghadashi, was on his way to Chiplun to meet his ill father and was frustrated by the inordinate delay of his train, the Mangaluru Express.

After a goods train derailed near Panvel station on Saturday night, many long-distance trains were detained or diverted. Due to the delay, passengers from the Mangaluru Express, which was stranded for six to seven hours at Diva station on Sunday, staged a protest for almost 45 minutes, resulting in a further disruption of rail services. Around 54 train services were affected by both incidents, said Shivraj Manaspure, Chief PRO Central Railway.

Aadesh Bhagat, president of the Diva Railway Passenger Association, said that the frustrated passengers of the Mangaluru Express first agitated in front of the train at Diva station but on receiving no response from the authorities, came down on the main line and stopped all train services. “Along with the railway authorities, we tried to solve the issue, and the train started again around 10 am but stopped in Nilje again for almost two hours,” he said. “By then, the crowd was uncontrollable and vandalised railway property.” RPF officials have booked unknown commuters in cases at Diva and Nilje stations under Sections 174, 145b,146, and 153 of the Railway Act.

Meanwhile, Rutik Ghadashi suffered severe damage to his right forearm, the veins of which were shattered. Dr Prabhat Giri, general physician at the Shree Manav Kalyan Hospital of Nilje, said the youngster was unconscious when he was brought in. “He had lost so much blood that we had to take up his case on an emergency basis,” he said. “Several procedures were done. Although the surgeries have been successful, he will not be able to use his hand for the next six months.”

Rutik’s elder sister Roshani Ghadashi said her brother was tense since their ill father’s condition had been deteriorating. “He took leave to go see him in Chiplun,” she said. “He left home at around 4:30 am. When I called him around 8 am, he told me he was on the train and would call back once he reached Chiplun. Later I got a call from an unknown person that he was injured and admitted to hospital.”

Ganesh Gholap, a passenger on the same train, said that many commuters were fed up on account of the delay, as most of them were with their elderly parents or children and did not have the resources to stay on the train for a long time. “That’s why everyone was panicking,” he said. “Also, there were no railway announcements for a long time. They only happened much later after the commuter agitation began.”