Protesting against the removal of two loco pilots from service, members of the All India Loco Running Staff Association observed Black Day and staged a demonstration across South Western Railway Zone on Thursday seeking justice.
The loco running staff staged the demonstration in front of crew lobbies at Bengaluru, Mysuru, Sakleshpur, Arsikere, Hubballi, Ballari, Hosapete, Castle Rock and Vasco to register their protest and termed the action to dismiss the loco pilots from service as similar to “only blaming the arrow when the shooter has gone scot-free”.
The gate meetings were in response to a call for Black Day given by the All India Local Running Staff Association in protest against removal from service (on June 30) of loco pilot (goods) Swarup Sinha and assistant loco pilot G.S.S. Kumar of ADRA Division of South Eastern Railway for going on micro sleep mode while working on a goods train as a result of which the train passed the home signal of Ondagram station (West Bengal) and collided with another goods train on June 25.
The association has said that awarding removal from service without giving chargesheet and an opportunity to be heard for explanation is highly unfair. A fair trial is a fundamental right of a citizen, employee and it has been denied in this case, the association said. It has also said that the “who went wrong” approach instead of the “what went wrong” approach adopted by the Railways will never help reduce accidents.
