A passenger train from the national capital, which was supposed to reach Maharashtra, took a ‘different route’ despite the loco-pilot’s presence and finally reached Madhya Pradesh!

More than 1,500 people, most of them farmers, had travelled in the train. The farmers belonging to Maharashtra, numbering close to 1500, had just been returning from Delhi where they had organized large-scale protests to press for implementation of their demands. Thanks to Railway Ministry’s callous manner of functioning, the farmers found themselves in Madhya Pradesh instead of Maharashtra.

A high-level inquiry has been ordered into the ‘faux pas’, said a high-ranking Rail Ministry official. The farmers boarded the Swabhimani Express at Delhi on Tuesday to return home. Even as the hapless passengers were chit-chatting or sleeping, the train travelled on the wrong route for more than 160 kilometers. What was more baffling was neither the loco-pilot nor the guard spotted the grave mistake.

It was only after the train reached Gwalior that the mistake/blunder was found out. Fuming with fury, farmers once again got into protesting mode and sat on the platform. In order to douse the situation, Rail administration pacified them after many hours and arranged for a special train to enable them to reach home.  Thankfully enough, no untoward incident took place during the ‘wrong route’ journey.