Railway Union Leaders, 40 Supporters Booked For Unauthorised Protest at Mumbai’s CSMT

Mumbai Police have booked office-bearers of the Central Railway Mazdoor Sangh (CRMS) and around 40 supporters for holding an unauthorised protest at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on November 6, which disrupted suburban train services during peak hours.

The protest was reportedly organised to oppose an FIR filed against two railway engineers in connection with the June 9 Mumbra train accident. According to officials, the demonstrators gathered near the motormen’s lobby around 5:30 p.m., blocking movement and affecting local train operations for nearly an hour.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) filed the case citing violations of prohibitory orders under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and obstruction of government work. Among those named in the FIR are CRMS leaders S.K. Dubey and Vivek Shisodia.

The Central Railway’s worker unions went on a nearly hour-long flash strike Thursday evening, due to which no trains plied during rush hour, leading to massive crowding on platforms at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj terminus (CSMT). Five people who had waited there for nearly an hour eventually decided to cross the tracks and leave when a train hit them, killing two individuals.

The deceased were identified as Hailey Mohmaya, 19, of Matunga, and Suryakant Naik, 45, a resident of Mira Road. Three others were injured in the incident, of which the condition of one woman was reported to be critical.

Railway officials who report to the central government have been upset with the Government Railway Police (GRP), which reports to the Maharashtra government, over the fact that the latter registered a First Information Report (FIR) against two Central Railway engineers.

The FIR was registered in connection with an incident in Mumbra in June this year when five people died and six others were injured. Soon after the FIR was registered on November 1, the railway employees began threatening to go on strike.