Passengers were left stranded as several trains were halted at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) during peak travel hours on Thursday evening, following a flash strike called by Central Railway worker unions. The strike, lasting for about an hour, was in protest against the Government Railway Police’s (GRP) registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against two engineers.
On November 1, the GRP registered the FIR, referencing a report from the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) and its own investigation. This FIR targeted two engineers from Central Railway along with senior officials, linking them to a fatal train accident at Mumbra in June that resulted in five deaths. The FIR cited six reasons for the action, indicating that the accident occurred due to the railway officials’ negligence in maintaining the tracks, despite knowing that trains could come dangerously close to one another.
In response to the FIR, the Central Railway Mazdoor Sangh (CRMS) declared a protest to be held at CSMT on Thursday. The union urged for the FIR’s withdrawal in a notification directed to the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), announcing a march outside the DRM’s office at around 4:30 PM.
Demonstrators, carrying posters from CRMS and the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR), staged a sit-in protest outside officials’ offices, which effectively halted train operations around 5:30 PM. The timing of the protest significantly affected commuters traveling to the suburbs from CSMT during peak hours.
Confusion mounted among stranded passengers, as there were no announcements regarding the suspension of train services. Amid the turmoil, many passengers deboarded the halted trains and were seen walking along the tracks. The disruption led to overcrowding not only at CSMT but also at other Central Railway stations, including Byculla and Sandhurst Road.
Central Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Swapnil Nila, stated that the protestors were eventually pacified and train services resumed at 6:45 PM. However, officials from Central Railway declined to provide specifics on the total number of services that were affected during the strike.
Original Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/workers-union-strike-to-protest-fir-against-cr-engineers-brings-trains-to-a-halt-at-csmt-10350432/
Category: Cities,Mumbai
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Publish Date: 2025-11-07 01:03:00
