Coaches of Bandra-Amritsar Paschim Express detach twice within hour; passengers safe
_vb_86.jpeg)
Mumbai (PTI): Two incidents of uncoupling of coaches of Bandra Terminus-Amritsar Paschim Express were reported within an hour on Sunday in Maharashtra and Gujarat, raising concerns regarding the safety of passengers.
The first incident occurred between Vangaon and Dahanu stations at 1:19 pm, and another at Sanjan station in Gujarat around 2:10 pm, officials said.
"There was no injury or inconvenience caused to any passenger, and there has been no impact on overall train operations," said a Western Railway spokesperson.
Initially, the train was held up for around 25 minutes for the re-coupling of coaches before being allowed to proceed on its onward journey at around 1.46 pm.
The train faced another uncoupling at Sanjan station, the spokesperson said, adding that Carriage and Wagon (C&W) staff from Valsad were mobilised, and a locomotive engine departed from Valsad at 3:15 pm to assist at the site.
The train finally departed at 4:46pm, the spokesperson said.
Railway sources said further technical checks were being conducted to ascertain the cause of the repeated uncoupling of coaches.
On both occasions the same two second AC coaches, which were 17th and 18th from the engine in the 23-coach train, uncoupled.
After inspection, these two second AC coaches were replaced with two third AC coaches, following which the train left from Sanjan after a delay of almost four hours, they said.
Western Railway chief public relations officer Vineet Abhishek said 15 staffers were deputed to shift the luggage from one coach to another when the 2AC coaches were replaced with 3AC coaches.
Also Valsad Medical Association had arranged for tea and breakfast for around 100 passengers.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
_vb_77.jpeg)
_vb_00.jpeg)
