Enraged commuters went on the rampage upset over the delay in suburban local train services on the central line which carries half of Mumbai's rail passengers, bringing the city’s lifeline to a complete halt.
It all started in the peak hours on Friday morning after a pantograph of one of the local trains was broken near Thakurli station on up slow line. Tempers flared as hundreds of commuters found themselves stranded at Diva Junction station.
The mob pelted stones at the trains, vandalised railway property and torched three vehicles including a police van at Diva Junction railway station on Central Railway, on the outskirts of Mumbai.
The violent protests led to the complete disruption of train services for more than seven hours and it was not fully restored till the time of writing this report.
Inquiry ordered
Taking a note of it, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu, who was in Mumbai, has promised to look into the demands of the commuters and announced an inquiry in the violent protests.
The suburban local train network on CR extends from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus to Kasara in Thane district (around 100 km) on one side and Karjat in Raigad district (around 90 km) on the other. Approximately 38 lakh commuters travel daily on this route.
Motormen flash strike
Earlier, adding to the misery of the commuters, the motormen’s organisation too called for a flash strike, after one of its members suffered serious injury on his head during the commuters’ protest. The motormen resumed work after an hour of negotiations and promise from the railways administration to provide security. However, by afternoon, other two routes -- harbour and trans-harbour line -- too had come to a standstill.
After local train disruption I have sent MOS Home & UD Ranjeet Patil to immediately ensure that Law & Order situation is maintained.
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) >January 2, 2015The commuters’ representative body, however, blamed the CR administration for their maintenance failure. “These delays have become everyday matter. The people vented their anger today. The administration is hiding its incompetence by blaming it on commuters,” said Shailendra Kamble of Pravas Adhikar Andolan Samiti.
Minor lathicharge
According to new reports, the police had to retort to minor lathicharge to disperse the crowd, which further angered the people . However, Maharashtra Minister of State for Home, Ranjit Patil, said that the police lathicharged the crowd as it vandalised public property.
Discussed the matter with Minister Suresh Prabhu. We will look into the reasons of disruption &work on corrective course for future.
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) >January 2, 2015.
“The problem was on only one line, but due to the protests by commuters, it spread on all four lines. We suspect that there were some anti-social elements in the crowd,” said Narendra Patil, Spokesperson, Central Railway.
