Youth pays for rail puff protest

The Telegraph of India ^ | February 01, 2005 | DEBABRATA MOHANTY

[ijcr]

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 31: Observing rules does not always pay and a youth from Orissa recently learnt it the hard way.

Samaresh Panda, 24, an unemployed youth, was allegedly pushed out of the 2802 New Delhi-Puri Purushottam Express on January 26 evening by three men near Bokaro railway station for his protests against smoking inside the compartment.

The youth was left with a broken hip and scarred back. The injuries were so severe that pieces of flesh fell off his hip when he landed next to the railway track.

Panda, a resident of Chakeisiani in Bhubaneswar, had recently gone to New Delhi to meet his elder brother. However, he had to cut short his trip due to an emergency at home. Since he did not have a confirmed ticket, the youth boarded one of the general compartments of the Purushottam Express on January 25.

As the train approached Bokaro railway station the next evening, the three youths allegedly blocked his path while Panda was trying to go to the toilet and blew smoke rings on his face.

“I asked them to stop smoking inside the compartment citing the presence of senior citizens and children. But when they persisted, I reminded them of the ban on smoking inside trains. But they did not listen and continued to blow smoke rings,” recalled Panda, who was discharged from a local private clinic here this afternoon.

As soon as the train stopped at Bokaro around 7 pm, Panda informed the travelling ticket examiner about the smoking.

Reprimanded, the three youths waited for their chance to get even with Panda. Immediately after the train pulled out of the station, the trio pushed him out of it. Luckily, no train was coming from the other side. Pieces of flesh started to come off his right hip as Panda gradually passed out. His back was severely wounded while the right hip bone broke.

Panda regained consciousness a few hours later and called for help. Two railway gangmen, who were passing by, saw him but did not help as their “duty hours were over”.

Panda somehow managed to reach the last track next morning and clanged an electric pole, which drew the attention of the local auto-rickshaw drivers.

“They saved me....the drivers took me to the Bokaro Steel Plant hospital for treatment. Then they contacted my family members here,” recounted Panda.

The auto-drivers also lodged a complaint with the Government Railway Police in Bokaro against the three unnamed youths. One of Panda’s cousins later went to Bokaro and brought him back to Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

[ijcr]

After yesterdays spat on this topic.I had to post this. As tragic as the incident was, my favorite paragraph is:-

Panda regained consciousness a few hours later and called for help. Two railway gangmen, who were passing by, saw him but did not help as their “duty hours were over”.

[Servant of the 9]

What a wonderful way to trreat Smoke NAZIs.

So9

[Paul C. Jesup]

Panda regained consciousness a few hours later and called for help. Two railway gangmen, who were passing by, saw him but did not help as their “duty hours were over”.

And some wonder why people dislike Workers Unions...

[zygoat]

A black and blue panda.