Railway unions stop local trains at CSMT to oppose FIR against engineers in accident case
Mumbai (PTI): Unions representing Central Railway’s employees stopped suburban local train operations at the busy Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus for nearly an hour on Thursday evening to oppose the FIR against engineers in the Mumbra accident case.
Train services resumed after senior officials assured the protesters they would pursue the matter with the state authorities.
Central Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila told PTI that the employees protesting at CSMT, where daily passenger footfall touches several lakhs, did not allow motormen and train managers to operate trains between 5.50 pm and 6.45 pm.
The protesters were pacified and local train services resumed after about an hour, said Nila.
The Government Railway Police have registered an FIR against two railway engineers in the June 9 Mumbra train accident, which claimed five lives.
The GRP action prompted National Railway Mazdoor Union and Central Railway Mazdoor Union to stage the protest on Thursday, demanding the FIR be revoked.
The NRMU staged a protest outside the Divisional Railway Manager's office at CSMT after a march, while CRMS staged protest in the suburban concourse of the busy station, just outside the motormen and train managers or guards lobby.
The employees participating in the protest shouted slogans against the police and warned of action if the case is not withdrawn.
Many daily wage labours of railway contractors also participated in the protest, several of them wearing reflective safety jackets.
Non availability of suburban services during evening peak hours led to heavy rush on both mainline and harbour corridors of Central Railway.
Commuters filled the CSMT premises as they waited for train services to resume. Major stations including Kurla, Ghatkopar, Dadar, Thane, and Vashi witnessed heavy rush of passengers.
Several passengers travelled onboard outstation trains due to heavy rush and disrupted suburban services. Some rushed to the Metro-3 station in the vicinity.
“A friend from the UK is here, and we wanted to board a local train. We came out of the CSMT after waiting for trains to start for nearly 20 minutes,” said Thane resident Anshuman R.
Passenger activists strongly condemned the stoppage of suburban trains.
They accused railway authorities of holding passengers to ransom to pressure the GRP into scrapping the FIR.
The probe into the June 9 Mumbra train accident, which claimed five lives, has found that railway staffers replaced a piece of track four days prior to it, but left it unwelded, which resulted in the tragedy.
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Shivakumar says Hate Speech Bill to safeguard constitutional values, hits back at BJP
Belagavi (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said that a bill to curb hate speech was to safeguard constitutional values and curb provocative political discourse.
He also hit out the opposition BJP for criticising the bill.
The state government on Wednesday tabled in the Assembly the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crime (Prevention) Bill that proposed a jail term of up to 10 years and a maximum fine of Rs 1 lakh.
Speaking to reporters at the Belagavi Circuit House, Shivakumar said the opposition had no reason to object it.
"If the BJP refrains from indulging in hate speech, everything will be fine. They have been the pioneers of creating hostility, be it through caste-based, religious, or personal attacks," he said.
He argued that the bill aims to reinforce constitutional principles, countering the BJP's allegation that it is being introduced to target political opponents.
"Let the BJP conduct itself as per constitutional values. This legislation is meant to safeguard the Constitution," the Deputy Chief Minister said.
Speaking about Karnataka State Cricket Association's request to hold cricket matches at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is suspended following June 4 stampede that killed 13 people, Shivakumar confirmed that the issue would be taken up in Thursday's Cabinet meeting.
Calling the stampede at the stadium unfortunate, he said, "Such an incident should never have happened. Several mistakes have taken place and they must be rectified in line with proper guidelines. My only wish is that the reputation of Karnataka should not be tarnished."
