CHENNAI: An inebriated Railway Guard caused an hour-long delay of EMU trains running between Chennai and Arakkonam after he stopped a train midway at Senji Panambakam station unable to continue to do his duty in drunken stupor on Thursday.
Irate passengers thrashed the guard and handed over the guard, Sadanandan, to the Railway Police and staged a protest seeking disciplinary and criminal proceeding against the guard for risking the lives of passengers using EMUs. Commuters of the Chengalpattu-Vellore via Chennai Beach EMU fast train realised that it was taking more than usual time for the train to leave from Ambattur railway station. They also noticed that the EMU motorman’s signals were not responded to by the guard.
Several passengers along with the motorman rushed to the guard coach to find Sadanandan fully drunk. As the guard was not responding, the motorman, reportedly under pressure from the passengers, agreed to run the train without waiting for the signals from the guard.
The guard continued to enjoy the elation and stayed ‘high’ when the train passed through Veppampattu, Ekattur and Kadambattur without giving proper signals to the motorman.
As the train entered Senji Panambakkam station in Thiruvallur district, the passengers staged a protest against the drunk guard and the motorman, operating the train without the guard, risking his life and as well as that of the passengers travelling by that train.
A section of irate passengers stormed into the guard’s coach, dragged him onto the platform and thrashed him. As the situation escalated, Railway Police and Officials brokered peace. The drunken guard was subjected to a medical test at a hospital near Arakkonam. This train and the other subsequent trains in that stretch were delayed by more than an hour due to the imbroglio. The guard was placed under suspension pending departmental inquiry.