Drunk train guard puts hundreds of lives at risk on Mumbai local

When things run like clockwork it is easy to forget that every time you travel in a local train you are putting your life in the hands of two people the motorman and the guard Imagine finding out that one of them was drunk enough to have his foot on the emergency brake for at least 10 minutes without even realising itNamdeo Sutake left being taken away by an RPF officer at Dombivli station on Saturday nightThis is exactly what happened in the 755 pm CSTTitwala fast train on Saturday a time when trains are so packed that each rake carries hundreds of passengers Railway authorities did not even realise that the guard Namdeo Sutake was allegedly drunk until the train was leaving from Dombivli nearly an hour laterNamdeo Sutake and the pointsman Rajesh Munde right who replaced himAs it was pulling out of the station around 844 pm the train suddenly halted prompting the motorman to ring two bells in the guardrsquos cabin as an indication and to request permission to proceed Sources said that there was no response and so the motorman sounded the trainrsquos horn to indicate to the station masterrsquos office that something was amissA crowd had gathered around the guardrsquos cabin since the train halted at Dombivli for nearly 20 minutesldquoWe thought the chain had been pulled in some compartment When that happens a siren goes off in the cabins of the motorman and the guard A brake is also applied by the pulling of the chain and the train doesnrsquot move forward unless the problem is rectifiedrdquo said a Central Railway officialRailway officials thus began examining all the compartments to find out where the train had been pulled When they finally reached the guardrsquos cabin they saw Sutake sitting on the chair with his head against the control desk and his foot on the emergency brake pedalThis was discovered at 9 pm and commuters in the train and the platform had already begun to gather around the guardrsquos cabin ldquoThe commuters were getting restless and began arguing So we had to make the guard disembark and let the train continue on its journeyrdquo said a rail officialRajesh Munde a pointsman who is supposed to repair technical faults on tracks and overhead wires replaced Sutake in the cabin and he remained in charge till Kalyan two stations away where he was relieved by another guardDrinking en routeSutake was taken to the Kalyan railway hospital for his medical tests the results of which are still awaited An RPF official involved in the case however confirmed that Sutake was smelling of alcohol and it was apparent that he had been drinkingldquoAs per the process the motorman and the guard have to undergo a breathalyser test before they board the train Sutake must have consumed alcohol in the cabin after the train left CSTHe has already been suspendedrdquo said a railway official When midday asked Sutake about his conduct he simply said ldquoMaaf kara mala Chuk zhali mazya hatun Please forgive me I have made a mistakerdquoOfficial speakldquoIf anyone is found drunk we will take disciplinary action and issue a chargesheetrdquo said Chief PRO Central Railway Narendra PatilEndangering livesThe duties of a guard are as important as those of the motorman who pilots the train The guard is supposed to monitor any untoward incident at the platform while the train is in motion apply emergency brakes when needed inform rail control in case of technical failures and carry out several other duties meant to keep passengers safe