RPF row with loco pilot holds up trains for 5 hours

Arvind Chauhan| TNN | Jun 9, 2017, 

AGRA: A dozen trains were delayed for several hours on Agra-Bareilly route after a railway protection force policeman assaulted a loco pilot who was sitting in a coach reserved for handicapped persons.

The incident took place at Kasganj station on Friday morning in Farrukhabad-Kasganj passenger (55331), when the squad of RPF found a loco pilot (spare) Prem Prabhakar, taking rest in the reserved coach of handicap which was right beside the locomotive engine.

According to a source, when the RPF objected and asked the loco pilot to move in other coach, the loco-pilot refused and told the men in khakee that he is railway employee.

Following the instructions to not allow any passenger in reserved coaches of women and handicap, the RPF men forced loco pilot to vacate the coach, but the adamant pilot refused and the two parties engaged in heated argument, after which two more loco-pilots of train who were in the locomotive engine came to back their man. During the confrontation, a RPF constable identified as Vikram Singh assaulted two pilots including Prem Prabhakar and R K Tripathi.

The assault on loco-pilots stirred massive protest by railway employees and they stopped train operations on the Bareilly-Agra route which caused several hours delay. The employees demanded immediate action against the constable.

Speaking to TOI, public relation officer Rajendra Singh of Izatnagar division of north eastern railway said, "It is a common practice among loco-pilots to take rest in coach which is right behind the locomotive engine. The constable who attacked pilot had been suspended by divisional security commissioner R R Meena."

According to railway, nine trains including passengers and express were delayed upto five hours, while three goods train were detained in remote locations, due to the protest held by railway employees.

Trains such as Kasganj-Agra Fort was delayed by 5 hours, followed by Kasganj-Farrukhabadmore than three hours, Kasganj- Bareilly city more than two hours, Kolkata-Agracantt for one hour, Lucknow-Kasganj, Bareilly city-Kasganjpassenger and Bareilly city-Pilibbhit passenger.

After the incident, a probe has been called which will be conducted by K C Meena assistant security commissioner and divisional mechanical engineer Naveen Kumar Singh.