BENGALURU: A flash strike by workers’ union against the arrest of a railway employee caught passengers unawares at the railway station here on Tuesday.
Seven evening trains were delayed -- five of them for two hours -- leaving passengers tense and clueless.
A clerk in the commercial section, A R Pandurangan was arrested on Sunday in a case relating to the auction of vehicles abandoned at the railway station.
The protesters said the auction, which took place in 2013-14, had been conducted on instructions of the higher officials, whose arrest they have been demanded.
Pandurangan was first arrested a fortnight ago and granted bail. He was again taken into custody on Sunday.
Raghavendra, secretary of the South Western Railway Mazdoor Union, said junior employees were being targeted because of “ego clashes” between the railway authorities and the police. Ticket counters were closed and many passengers were forced to board trains without tickets. Passengers, especially women travelling with children, were anxious that they would miss the connecting buses and trains.
Though many people were seen seeking help from the railway staff, they did not provide any explanation on the inconvenience caused. The Railway Protection Force did not offer any help either.
The Gol Gumbaz Express, which was to leave at 6.45 pm, left only at 8 pm. “They are not telling us what is happening,” said Ashok Muddabihal, travelling to Bagalkot.
G S Shankar, travelling to Vijayapura by the same train, said, “There is usually an additional delay of one-and-a-half hours in Hubballi. So we don’t know when we will reach our destination.”
Mysuru-bound Manjula M was afraid that she would reach there very late.
Noor Niza, travelling to Ernakulam with her children, said, “No one is ready to give us any information.”
“Since 6 pm, all ticket counters are closed and no ticket examiner is around either. The signalling is not happening,” said Binu
Chandran, travelling to Kerala. Ernakulam-bound Meena John was all the more anxious as Kerala was set to see another hartal on Wednesday. “I don’t know how I will reach home,” she said. Sheela S A Raju, travelling from Mysuru to Mayiladuthurai, was to take a connecting train from Thanjavur to Nagapattinam. She was worried she would miss that train.