Man boards Vande Bharat train to urinate, Rs 6,000 go down the drain
Jul 20, 2023
BHOPAL: A man's urgency to use the toilet resulted in him flushing Rs 6,000 down the drain.
Abdul Qadir, a native of Hyderabad, was on a platform at the Bhopal railway station with his family when he felt the urgent need to pee. He got on to a Vande Bharat train to use its toilet.
He was traveling with his wife and 8-year-old son from Hyderabad to his hometown Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh. Abdul runs two dry fruit shops, one in Hyderabad and the other in Singrauli.
They had reached Bhopal from Hyderabad and were to take a train to Singrauli. They had reached Bhopal station at 5.20 pm on July 15 and their train to Singrauli was scheduled to depart at 8.55 pm.
While they were on the platform, Abdul got onto an Indore-bound Vande Bharat train to use the bathroom. However, as soon as Abdul came out of the bathroom, he realised that the train doors had been locked and it had started moving.
Abdul tried seeking help from three ticket collectors and four police personnel present in different coaches, but they informed him that only the driver could open the doors. But when he attempted to approach the driver, he was stopped.
Eventually, Abdul had to pay a fine of Rs 1,020 for boarding the train without a valid ticket. He then got off after the train halted in Ujjain and spent an additional Rs 750 on a bus ticket to Bhopal.
While Abdul was stuck on the train, his wife and son were worried about him and faced the dilemma of what she should do next. She decided not to board the Singrauli-bound Dakshin Express.
Tickets, worth Rs 4,000, which were booked on the Dakshin Express for their planned train journey to Singrauli were not used.
Abdul ended up losing at least Rs 6,000 for using the Vande Bharat bathroom.
Abdul alleged that his family had to go through mental harassment due to the absence of an emergency system on Vande Bharat trains. He believes that the incident highlighted the flaws in the emergency system of the train.
Responding to Abdul's allegations, Subedar Singh, the PRO of Bhopal Railway Division, stated that an announcement is made before the Vande Bharat train starts, indicating which direction the doors will open and that the doors are being locked. This safety measure is in place to prevent accidents and ensure the well-being of passengers. Additionally, Singh mentioned that the train can only be stopped after receiving orders from higher authorities.
