Lack of RPF escort team on train and protocol violation after chain-pulling cost the life of an assaulted man in a congested coach.

The life of 26-year-old Sagar Janardan Markad could have been saved if the Pune railway division had followed two protocols. Due to a shortage of personnel, no Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel were assigned to escort the Mumbai-Latur-Bidar Express train in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Pune division. When Sagar was being accosted following a dispute over sharing a seat, his wife, Jyoti, pulled the chain three times. Second, one of the two eccentric pilots who twice went to the congested compartment to determine why his wife had pulled the chain did not disclose anything to anyone. The train stopped at Hadapsar, Manjari, and Loni. A source affirmed that one of the train’s loco pilots visited the carriage twice to determine why the chain was drawn. Unfortunately, he did not disclose anything, the source said.aHad the loco pilot or security sent a message, we would have known. If the chain is drawn, the train pauses and the sentry or one of the locomotive operators must investigate the cause. According to the regulations, they must also notify the railway control, the traveling ticket examiner (TTE), or the RPF. Since the compartment in which the assault occurred was near the engine, it was the loco pilot’s responsibility to determine why the chain was pulled. The escort varies at various divisions. Ideally, the Pune RPF was to provide escort from Pune to Daund. However, this was not the case, he stated. Due to a lack of personnel, the Pune RPF only provides escort service for 35 trains. These trains are chosen based on the frequency of criminal incidents, and this train was not on the list,a the source explained.Manoj Jhawar, the public relations officer of the Pune division, stated that the Government Railway Police is investigating the incident. If they require assistance from us, we will provide it.