Commuters were left in a dilemma as several trains were halted at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) during peak travel hours on Thursday evening as Central Railway workers’ unions called an hour-long surprise strike to protest against the Government Railway Police’s (GRP) FIR against two engineers.
On November 1, the Government Railway Police (GRP) – citing a report by the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) and its officers – registered an FIR against two Central Railway (CR) engineers and other seniors in connection with the Mumbra train accident that left five people dead in June this year. Detailing six reasons behind the action, the FIR stated that the accident occurred due to failure of railway officials to carry out maintenance work on the railway track, despite being aware that arriving and departing trains could approach each other and cause an accident, leading to loss of lives and property.
With the FIR coming up, the Central Railway Mazdoor Sangh (CRMS) on Wednesday announced that it would hold a protest on Thursday at CSMT. In a call for withdrawal of the FIR, the union – in a notice to the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) – said that the Morcha operation will be carried out outside the DRM office at CSMT around 4.30 pm on Thursday.
Protesters carrying posters of CRMS and the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) staged a sit-in outside the office of senior officials demanding cancellation of the FIR against Central Railway engineers, halting train operations around 5:30 pm on Thursday. The strike occurred during peak travel hours, negatively impacting commuters traveling towards the suburbs from CSMT.
Passengers stranded on the platform said there was massive confusion over the suspension of train services as no announcements were made. Amid the chaos, a number of passengers got off the stopped trains and were seen walking on the tracks. Meanwhile, lack of train services has led to overcrowding on the CSMT platform as well as other Central Railway stations such as Byculla Road and Sandhurst.
Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Swapnil Nela said the protesters were pacified and train services resumed at 6.45 pm from CSMT.
However, CR officials declined to comment on the total number of services that were suspended and halted during peak hours in the wake of the protests.
(Tags for translation) Trade Union Strike
