A row between a railway magistrate and an EMU train driver today held the Eastern Railway's train services at ransom for five hours. Thousands of commuters were stranded at Sealdah station with train services in both the suburban and long distance sections coming to a halt after guards and motormen boycotted work.

This happened after an EMU driver and guard of the Sealdah-bound Budge Budge local were detained by the GRP authorities at around 10 am in the morning. The duo had allegedly refused to accommodate railway magistrate Mintu Mallik in the driver's cabin.

At Lake Gardens station, Mallik had demanded that driver Dipak Sarkar should let him into the cabin. Sarkar refused to oblige and asked Mallik to produce the "cab pass" that is mandatory for travelling in the driver's cabin. A heated argument followed and the magistrate allegedly forced Sarkar to take him in.

On arriving at Sealdah (South) station, Mallik informed the GRP and demanded that Sarkar and the on-duty guard Manoj Kumar Mondal be arrested.

As the word about detention spread, all EMU drivers gathered on the Railway premises demanding the release of their colleagues. "We have clear instructions against allowing anybody inside our cabin. This is strictly for safety reasons and it applies on senior officials as well. The person has to carry a cab pass issued by the railway authorities for travelling in the driver's cabin,” said a driver.

Minutes later, another driver PK Singh was arrested by the railway police authorities at the behest of Mallik. Around 11 o'clock, a case was registered against him under Section 228 of CrPC for "disrupting court proceedings", which triggered a furore among the protesters. A scuffle also ensued between the railway police authorities and the protesting drivers with sporadic instances of police resorting to lathi (baton) charge.

Meanwhile, Sarkar and Mondal were released from detention. “It was a small incident. We had detained them, but later the agitation blew into serious dimensions,” said Barun Mallik, SRP, Sealdah.

Passengers went through a harrowing ordeal with 49 pairs of EMU locals being cancelled in Sealdah North, Sealdah Main and Sealdah South sections. Commuters travelling had to put up with long waits with trains coming to a halt midway. Train services at Howrah were also affected.

At 4.05 train services were resumed after PK Singh was released on a bail against a personal bond of 1,000 Rupees.

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Several injured in police-mob clash in Sealdah station

India enews: May 05, 2007
From correspondents in West Bengal, India

At least eight people were injured at the Sealdah railway station here Saturday as railway police resorted to baton charge thousands of commuters who were protesting suspension of local train services after railway staff went on a wildcat strike.

Train services were disrupted for five hours in three sections (south, north and central) of the Sealdah station - one of the two major railheads of Eastern Railway (ER).

The drivers and other railway staff went on protest as three of their colleagues were arrested by the railway police.

Irate commuters also staged a demonstration in front of the office of the station manager and later went on a rampage at the station.

According to police sources, the railway police resorted to baton charge to disperse the unruly crowd. Two media representatives were also injured.

The train service in many important stations like Diamond Harbour, Mograhat, Baruipur, Dankuni and Bongaon virtually collapsed due to the incident.

However, train service was restored later following the release of all the three arrested railway staff, including a driver.

According to police sources, the arrests were made on the basis of a complaint lodged by a railway magistrate Mintu Mallick, who was not allowed to board the driver's compartment by the driver and two guards of a local train at the Lake Gardens station.

Coming to the Sealdah station, he lodged a complaint with the railway police and got all three of them arrested.

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Chaos as magistrate avenges 'slight'

Times of India: 6 May, 2007

KOLKATA: A magistrate who was challenged when he tried to enter the motorman’s cabin on a local train unleashed a chain of events that halted train services on the busy Sealdah section for five hours on Saturday afternoon and left over 500,000 passengers stranded.

Railway fourth fast-track court magistrate Mintu Mullick was at the Lake Gardens station when the crowded SG 13 Up Budge Budge-Sealdah local arrived. He went up to the driver’s cabin, but was challenged by motorman Dipak Sarkar. "Do you know who I am? I can get you dismissed from service," Mullick reportedly told Sarkar. Faced with the threat, Sarkar called guard Manoj Mondal over. The two talked it over and let Mullick board the motorman’s cabin.

But once in Sealdah, Mullick took the ‘slight’ to heart. He immediately complained to Government Railway Police, claiming he’d been harassed by the motorman and the guard. The two were promptly taken into custody.

This was around 11.15 am. The news of the ‘arrests’ spread like wildfire. Immediately, 1,800 motormen and guards went on a wildcat strike, halting train services. Another 1,200 railway staff attached to BR Singh Hospital, Narkeldanga car shed, Sonarpur car shed, electric general and signal section joined the agitation, demanding the unconditional release of the duo and an apology from the magistrate.

Around midday, the station premises resembled a battlefield with passengers clashing with RPF personnel.

Matters took a turn for the worse when another driver, Pradeep Kumar Singh, tried to forcibly enter the courtroom presided over by Mullick in the Sealdah station complex, where the other two had been taken. Singh, too, was arrested.

There was absolute chaos after that with railwaymen baying for the magistrate’s blood in the corridors and the police holding them back from the courtroom. When Singh was put in the lockup, railwaymen switched off power connection to the courtroom.

The situation was brought under control after 4 pm when Sarkar and Mondal were released without any charges and Singh was granted bail. But by then, the station manager’s room had been ransacked, television sets and display panels smashed and several passengers injured in the RPF lathicharge. The general manager has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Senior railway officers said travelling in the motorman or guard’s cabin was illegal for all except senior officers or those with proper authorisation. A motorman or guard can be suspended if he allows an unauthorised person to travel with him. “This rule has to be enforced for passenger safety,” an officer said.