New Delhi, June 12: India’s Railways Ministry has suspended four officials following an incident involving the deployment of a train with poor-condition coaches for transporting Border Security Force (BSF) personnel from Tripura to Kashmir for Amarnath Yatra duty, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday.
Addressing reporters after a cabinet meeting, Vaishnaw said the issue was addressed promptly, with the train rake replaced and immediate disciplinary action taken against the responsible officials.
“Action was taken on this yesterday itself. The train’s rake was changed. Four officers who were responsible for this have been suspended,” the minister said. The suspended officials include the Coaching Depot Officer and three Senior Section Engineers from the Alipurduar Division of Indian Railways.
The BSF also clarified media reports suggesting that 1,200 personnel had refused to travel, stating that the condition of some coaches had been officially flagged to Indian Railways. A replacement train was arranged following their complaint.
“A few coaches of the train initially allotted to our jawans were in poor condition. The issue was brought to the attention of Indian Railways through an official letter. Following this, a replacement train was arranged. The jawans will now continue their journey,” the BSF said in a statement.
A special train is now being arranged from Agartala exclusively for BSF personnel, with a focus on their convenience and dignity.
The Railways Ministry has ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident and pledged corrective measures to avoid such lapses in the future. “The dignity and comfort of our security forces are of the utmost priority. Such negligence will not be tolerated at any level,” Vaishnaw added.
