Title - Western Railway local lets its guard down

MUMBAI: A Churchgate-Dahanu local left Palghar without a guard on Thursday morning. The guard, Radheshyam Sharma (55), had alighted in Palghar allegedly to have a cup of tea.

Western Railway (WR) has issued a chargesheet to Sharma for dereliction of a duty. A departmental inquiry has been ordered against Sharma and formal punishment will be handed out to him after the investigation is complete.

Sharma has denied that he had stepped out for tea. He claimed that he had alighted from the train to inspect one of the compartments after commuters complained about noise coming from it.

A senior WR official said, "Sharma's explanation does not seem tenable. I am sure he panicked when he spotted the train leaving without him."

The incident occurred soon after the local from Churchgate reached Palghar station at 7.24am. The train left Palghar at 7.25am and reached Boisar at 7.47am without the guard.

When Sharma spotted the moving local, he alerted the station authorities but the train had already covered significant distance. He then hailed an auto to catch up with the train at Boisar station. By the time he reached Boisar, the train had already moved to the next station.

Under the norms, a motorman should start the train only after the guard rings the bell. An official said, "It is not clear why the motorman left the station without the guard ringing the bell. It appears that there was some miscommunication and the motorman realized that there was no guard on board only after the train reached Boisar."What does a guard do?

The guard alerts motormen in case of an emergency and gives them the signal for departure after ensuring all commuters are on board. In case of an accident, the guard, along with railway cops, ensures the track is cleared for the next train. The guard is also expected to apply emergency brakes if he notices the motorman over-shooting the platform or jumping the signal

What Happened

Guard Radheshyam Sharma (55) alights from the train when it reaches Palghar station, allegedly to have tea

Before Sharma is back on board, the Churchgate-Dahanu local, piloted by motorman E Rajan, leaves Palghar

The guard spots the moving local and alerts station authorities, but the train has already covered significant distance

Sharma then hails an autorickshaw to catch up with the train

He reaches Boisar station but the train has already left

Sharma claims he didn't step out for tea but to inspect one of the compartments after commuters complained of noise