The Hindu : Harassment: Rly. employees stage dharna

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 19, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Harassment: Rly. employees stage dharna
By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, FEB. 18. The departure of several trains from Thiruvananthapuram Central was delayed by 35 minutes to one hour as Railway employees staged a dharna at the station today demanding action against two Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel who had harassed an employee of the mechanical wing on Saturday.

C. Ravindran Nair, a khalasi, who was promoted as a fitter in the Mechanical department, was questioned by two GRP personnel while he was rolling down the shutters of the Kerala Express which arrived from New Delhi, at the railway yard on Saturday. Railway sources said that despite showing his valid identity card as a khalasi, he was taken to the police station by the GRP personnel in civil dress. He was not let off even after two Railway Protection Force personnel vouched for his identity.

Sources said the GRP personnel got Mr. Ravindran's signature on a blank paper before letting him off from the Railway police station. The employees demanded steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents and staged a dharna after Kerala Express left the station for New Delhi at 11.10 a.m.

Following the incident, Railway officials lead by the Additional Divisional Railway Manager, Dani Thomas, and Railway police officials held discussions with the union leaders.

The Railway employees told the officials of the harassment meted out to them by the GRP personnel at the platform, station premises and parking lot. Railway sources said the dharna was called off after an assurance was given to the employees that the GRP personnel's deputation would be cancelled and that they would be reverted to their parent department.

Following the dharna, the departure of the Happa Express was delayed by 35 minutes, Chennai Mail by 40 minutes, Inter-City Express by one hour and Vanchinad Express by 30 minutes.

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Harassment: Rly. employees stage dharna