GRP books railway union office-bearers and 40 workers for staging dharna, halting suburban train operations; the protest was reportedly in response to an FIR registered against two railway engineers linked to the Mumbra train accident
The protest over the FIR against railway engineers led to train disruptions on the evening of Nov 6. Pic/Ashish Raje
The Government Railway Police (GRP) has registered an FIR against two railway union office-bearers and 30-40 participants for staging an unauthorised protest at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on November 6, briefly disrupting suburban train services.
The protest was reportedly in response to an FIR registered against two railway engineers linked to the Mumbra train accident. Railway police Sub-Inspector Mahesh Krishna Patil said nearly 100–200 employees gathered at a hall near CSMT around 4 pm and later marched towards the Divisional Railway Manager’s office.
Around 30 to 40 protesters entered the motormen’s lobby, sitting on a dharna and placing iron benches to block access to motormen’s, guards’, and station
manager’s offices. The obstruction caused local train services to halt around 5:41 pm, leading to passenger congestion during the evening rush hour. The protest ended at 6:38 pm after senior railway officials intervened and assured workers their concerns would be addressed.
A senior GRP officer said the protest violated prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which bars gatherings of five or more people. The FIR, registered under Sections 189(2), 190, 127(2), 221, and 223 of the BNS, 2023, along with sections 37(1) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act, pertains to unlawful assembly and disruption of railway services.
During the disruption, five commuters walking along tracks near Sandhurst Road station were struck by a train; two died. An Accidental Death Report has been filed in connection with the incident.
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