Giridih: Chaos erupted on Wednesday at New Giridih Railway Station in Jharkhand as passengers staged a protest, blocking the tracks after allegedly being denied entry into reserved compartments of a train bound for New Delhi, officials said.
The protestors, many of them claimed to have booked their seats nearly two months ago, raised slogans against railway authorities, accusing them of mismanagement.
The weekly train from Godda to New Delhi arrived at the platform at 3:20 p.m., but passengers found the doors of the reserved coaches locked from the inside. “Frustration quickly turned into anger as repeated pleas to open the compartments went unanswered,” alleged a protestor.
Passengers Sit on Tracks in Protest
Agitated by the situation, dozens of passengers, including those with confirmed AC and sleeper class tickets, sat on the railway tracks, refusing to let the train proceed. Dwarka Prasad Verma, a resident of Motileda, claimed that he and 41 others had booked their tickets as early as 29 December. “We had confirmed seats—21 in the AC coach and 21 in sleeper class—yet we were not allowed to board. Why did they sell us tickets if seats weren’t possible?” he questioned.
Amid rising tensions, some passengers stormed the railway office. Officials attempted to pacify them and offered a full refund, but the protestors refused to budge.
Police Intervention
The situation escalated, prompting police action. Led by SDPO Jeetvahan Oraon and station in-charge Shyam Kishore Mahto, the police team arrived at the scene and attempted to negotiate with the protestors.
After the prolonged discussions, officials opened a few compartments, though the AC coach remained inaccessible. After nearly an hour of negotiations, the passengers called off the protest and vacated the tracks, allowing the train to resume its journey around 4:00 p.m.
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