He was alone, but they were four. Yet railway keyman Tulajaram fought with the miscreants, risking his life to save passengers of the Falaknuma Passenger from Secunderabad to Solapur. The train passes via Sedam, Malakhed, Chittapur, Wadi, Shahabad, Gulbarga and Ganagapur in Gulbarga district.
The Railway Department and local police admit that if he was not alert and had not removed the live explosives on the track near Moghala thanda, three km from Chittapur town, there was every possibility of a blast.
South Central Railway Divisional Railway Manager Secunderabad S K Mishra, ADGP (Law and Order) M N Reddy spoke with Express at the site where explosives were kept near Moghala thanda. They acknowledged the bravery of Tulajaram and said they would recommend a reward for his act. The keyman’s job is to ensure the safety of tracks.
In an interview with Express, Tulajaram said his duty began at 8 am on Saturday and he had gone to Malakhed town, near Moghala thanda, when he came to know that explosives were found on the track at about 7 am.
Keyman Mohan, who was on duty till 8 am told him that as per instructions from the higher-ups, he had thrown the explosives away from the track.
When Tulajaram went to check the track from Chittapur station to Moghala thanda, he noticed two people sitting on either side of the track.
Tulajaram asked them in Telugu about what they were doing. Instead of replying, they wanted to know what time the Falaknuma passenger arrives.
“I got suspicious and checked their bag which had 10 gelatin sticks, detonators, a battery and wires. I realised they had planted explosives. It was 10 am and the train was about to arrive. I jumped into action and disconnected the explosives from the wire connected to the battery and threw it away. At this point all the four attacked me,” he said.
“I feared they would throw me on the track when the train approached. Thankfully, the train passed while I was being beaten. Some people in the train saw them and they fled in a black car as the Chittapur railway station is very close,” he added.
When asked if he is expecting any reward for his timely action, Tulajaram said he was only doing his duty.