Could the family not board the train despite having confirmed AC 2-tier tickets? Did the crowd and closed doors at Patliputra Junction cause the railway system to fail? Why were passengers with a one year old child forced to cancel their journey? Does the failure of RPF and railway staff raise questions on the safety of passengers?
Indian Railways Over Crowding: It is the dream of every passenger traveling in Indian Railways to get a confirmed seat so that his journey is comfortable. But what if you reach the station with a confirmed AC 2-tier ticket, one of the most premium classes of the train, and still can’t even step into the train? A very shocking video that has surfaced from Patliputra Junction in Bihar has raised a big and serious question mark on this basic system. This incident, which has gone viral on social media, has forced passengers to think that if you cannot board the train, then what is the use of a confirmed ticket?
‘Students occupy the gate, bogie door closed’: What happened in 12488 Seemanchal Express?
This painful incident came to light when an ‘X’ (Twitter) user named Rahul Kumar Pandey shared a hair-raising video on the internet of the chaos that broke out outside Train No. 12488 Seemanchal Express. Rahul had reached the station well in time to travel with his wife and their one year old innocent child. But as soon as the train reached the platform, they were blown away by the sight there. According to Rahul, “Despite having confirmed tickets for AC 2-Tier, the highest class available in the train, we and our family had to cancel our journey midway. Hundreds of students completely occupied the entry gates, the doors of the A2 coach were locked from inside and a war-like situation prevailed on the platform.”
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Innocent child kept suffering amidst the crowd: ‘The child kept screaming, RPF remained a spectator’
For this family traveling with a one year old child, this situation had become like a scary nightmare. Amidst the pushing and shoving from all sides and the uncontrollable crowd, their child was continuously crying out of fear and screaming for help. Rahul Pandey wrote in his post with a very sad heart that the situation had gone completely out of control, but the most surprising thing was that he did not get any effective help from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) or any railway staff present on the spot. Despite having a valid ticket, he was completely unable to break through the crowd and reach the gate of his coach.
Public anger erupted on social media: Does the rail network become hostage during the examination season?
As soon as this post came on the internet, it went viral like wildfire. Thousands of angry railway passengers reacted to this and started sharing their bitter experiences of overcrowding in trains. Many users cornered the government and said that especially during the examination season and festivals, the management of Railways completely fails. People raised the question that when a common citizen spends thousands of rupees and buys reserved and AC tickets, why does he have to risk his life even to reach his bogie? The aggrieved passenger has now demanded accountability from the Railways and a full refund of his missed journey.
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Panic in Railway Administration: Case reached Danapur DRM, will we get justice?
This serious complaint and viral video has given sleepless nights to top railway officials. Taking cognizance of the online uproar, the official handle ‘Railway Seva’ immediately responded to the post and transferred the entire matter to the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Danapur. Soon after, Danapur DRM office also registered a complaint against ‘X’ considering the sensitivity of the matter and assured that the entire incident is being thoroughly reviewed. However, this incident has once again exposed the crowd management on the Indian Railways network and has proved that it is always the genuine and honest ticket holders who have to pay the price of inadequate security and control arrangements.