Chalo Kerala, but make sure you have your tickets for the journey
The Akhil Bharathiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had an embarrassing experience during their journey to Kerala. 15 members of the team were travelling without tickets.
In Short
- ABVP workers were heading to the Chalo Kerala march.
- Passengers trying to enter general compartment were denied entry by ABVP workers.
- Railways collected a total penalty of Rs 11,250 from 15 men.
The Akhil Bharathiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP ) had an embarrassing experience during their journey to Kerala. Over 65 members of the ABVP who were travelling to Thiruvananthapuram were detained by Railway Protection Force after many of them were found to be travelling without tickets. It is also alleged that the general compartment was locked from inside restricting entry for other passengers.
The incident unfolded in Kannur railway station on Thursday morning as train number 19332 Indore- Kochuveli express arrived on the second platform. Many passengers were waiting at the station for the train which came in during the morning rush hour in Kannur- Kozhikode sector. However, the passengers who tried to enter the general compartment was denied entry by alleged ABVP workers as they claimed the compartment was fully booked for them.
According to RPF, the ABVP workers were travelling from Madhya Pradesh to Kerala to attend the Chalo Kerala march. As the train reached Kannur, passengers waiting at the station were denied entry to the general compartment which was occupied by ABVP workers. When questioned, they allegedly said that they have booked the whole compartment for their programme. Passengers also said that the general compartment was locked from inside. As the passengers protested and since the train had already left, the information was passed on to the next station, which was Kozhikode.
At Kozhikode, RPF and Railway officials entered the compartment to verify their incident. In the inspection it was revealed that 15 members of the team were travelling without tickets. To avoid delay the Ticketing department at next station (Shornur) was assigned to collect the penalty as excess fare charges. The railway collected a total penalty of Rs 11,250 from 15 men. The compartment was later opened for other passengers as well.
The RPF have also registered cases against 2 men for pulling the chain unnecessarily and restricting the entry of other passengers.