The Southern Railway’s Thiruvananthapuram division has ordered an inquiry into the unruly incident reported in the Okha–Ernakulam Express.
On September 6, the Divisional Control Office received an alert that a passenger travelling in S8 coach of the train, en route from Ahmedabad to Thrissur, had been found unconscious.
The station master at the next station, Mulangunnathukavu, as well as Thrissur were immediately instructed by the Divisional Control Office to arrange for an ambulance and stop the train briefly to facilitate the medical assistance. As per the directive, the Mulangunnathukavu station master contacted ambulance services. However, as the station is a small wayside station where road vehicle access is limited, and since it was past midnight, the ambulance took time to reach the station.
Since the train arrived at the station at 12.36 a.m. before the arrival of the ambulance, the railway staff suggested to let the train move to the nearest Thrissur railway station (7 km away), where an ambulance had already reached. However, co-passengers created ruckus and forced the train to stop at Mulangunnathukavu by pulling alarm chain, and the passenger was detrained forcefully. During this time, a few passengers entered the station master’s office and misbehaved, expressing agitation over the delay in the ambulance’s arrival.
The passenger was taken to the nearest hospital after the ambulance reached the Mulangunnathukavu station at 12.56 a.m. The train was delayed by approximately 25 minutes at the Mulangunnathukavu station due to the disruption caused by passenger intervention, according to the Railways.
Although the station master informed that an ambulance had been arranged at the Thrissur station, which is a major city, and only 6 minute away from the nearest hospital, passengers did not agree, said the Railways.
Against this backdrop, an officer-level inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
Published – October 09, 2025 10:29 pm IST
