Motorman’s suicide disrupts rail services

MUMBAI, March 28: The alleged suicide by a Central Railway motorman at Kalyan today afternoon disrupted long-distance train services in the ...

MUMBAI, March 28: The alleged suicide by a Central Railway motorman at Kalyan today afternoon disrupted long-distance train services in the Mumbai sector with operators of diesel engines going on a flash strike.

Long-distance trains like the Sahyadri Express bound for Kolhapur, the Manmad-bound Panchavati Express and Vidarbha Express were postponed indefinitely. Announcements made at the long-distance train terminus at CST informing passengers that the trains had not moved from their yards left them shaking their heads in disbelief.

N K Nair, a goods engine driver, was killed when he was run over by a train in the Kalyan yard around 2 pm. While railway authorities say the death was an accident, Nair’s colleagues claim that he committed suicide due to mental torture by a senior officer in the Railways.

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According to sources close to the deceased, Nair had been under suspension for the past two weeks. He had failed a breath analyser test when the officer conducted a surprise visit which led to hisimmediate suspension. But subsequent medical tests conducted by the railway doctor had proved otherwise, claimed sources.

Nair’s pleas for reinstatement were supposedly not entertained. According to a colleague, Nair met the railway authorities today morning and threatened to commit suicide if he wasn’t reinstated immediately. On seeing his pleas fall on deaf ears, he allegedly left for Kalyan to carry out his threat.

According to Central Railway spokesperson Mukul Marwah, Nair was the victim of an unfortunate accident. “The drivers have been on a `go slow’ protest for the past seven hours ,” he added.