The maiden run of Indore-Varanasi Mahakal Humsafar Express ran into trouble near Kanpur on Friday night due to ruckus created by six inebriated passengers. On being informed, the IRCTC swung into action and got the train stopped at a non-descript Bhimsen railway station and handed over the trouble-makers to the Railway Police Force (RPF). As a result, the train remained stationed at Bhimsen station from 9:40pm to 10:25pm.
The train started its journey from Indore on Friday morning with passengers being sent off by local MP Shankar Lalwani. As the night descended and the train entered Kanpur district, rowdy scene broke out in B-3 coach of the train. A passenger, CS Mishra, travelling on berth number 65 from Jhansi had to face a harrowing time at the hands of six passengers (occupants of berth number 61, 66, 67, 69, 70 and 72.
The six passengers not only consumed liquor in train but also created unruly scene in an inebriated state. They misbehaved with fellow passengers. Passenger Mishra complained to coach attendant Jitendra Patel about the nuisance. The latter tried to intervene but to no avail.
Seeing on reprieve, Mishra dialed his relative and Union minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Mahendra Nath Pandey and informed him about his and fellow passengers’ woes.
On his part, Pandey passed on the information to the IRCTC. On receiving information, the IRCTC officials swung into action and got the train stopped at Bhimsen station in Kanpur. The coach attendant and the TTE too passed on the information to their seniors.
The Railway Protection Force was called at the railway station. However, as there was no internet, the TTE had to submit a written memo before handing over unruly passengers to the RPF. However, in the melee, three of the inebriated passengers managed to escape under the cover of darkness.
According to reports, one of the unruly passengers tried to pass himself as a relative of IG Ajay Rai and even tried to make the train staff, talk to the officer in a bid to pressurize them into releasing him.