As many as 800 people, including women and children, staged a ‘rail-roko’ at Beeravalli junction in K.R. Pet taluk on Sunday afternoon after Shimoga-Chamarajanagar passenger train did not halt at the junction.
According to the sources at the Mandya railway station, 708 people, majority of them women and children, had bought tickets to board Shimoga-Chamarajanagar train at Beeravalli junction. But the train did not halt at the junction.
People who were waiting to board the train were angry and shocked when the train did not stop. So, they stopped a train going towards Shravanabelagola from Mysore at the junction and staged a rasta-roko for nearly 45 minutes. Subsequently, the railway official alerted the engine driver about the protest and instructed him to stop the train.
Chaos prevailed for nearly two hours at the junction following the protest.
The railway officials pacified them to withdraw the protest. But the protesters gave in only after officials refunded the ticket amount to those who demanded it, and made arrangements for others to reach their destinations by other trains.
Temple visit
A majority of the passengers were headed to Chandagonahalli temple that comes on the way to K.R. Nagar to participate in Amavasya-related special pujas, a railway official at the Beeravalli station told The Hindu .
According to him, 340 passengers had bought tickets to go to K.R. Nagar, 50 to go to Sagara Katte, 58 to Hampapura, 60 to Belagola and 200 had bought tickets to reach Mysore.
A total of 708 passengers and some of their relatives staged the protest, he said.
Inquiry
The official said that a show-cause notice would be issued to the personnel responsible for the incident and a departmental inquiry into the incident would be conducted.
