Injured train passenger's husband lodges complaint against railway officials

The Hindu

14-05-2025

A complaint has been lodged against railway authorities accusing them of not providing medical assistance to the woman passenger who suffered a head injury after the middle berth on a train collapsed in Southern Railway's Salem Division on Monday.
In his petition to the Government Railway Police, T. Jothi Jayashankar, husband of Suria Murugan, 39, the woman on whom the middle berth fell in a sleeper class coach of Train No. 22651 Chennai-Palakkad Express shortly after it crossed Jolarpet early on Monday, explained the circumstances that led to the incident and called for action against the railway personnel on board, accusing them of not assisting the injured passenger.
On seeing Ms. Suria with a bleeding head injury, the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) asked the family to get down at Morappur railway station, which was the next scheduled stop. When asked if the Railways would arrange for an ambulance or other medical care at Morappur, the TTE told the family that they would have to make their own arrangements. Since the time was 1.25 a.m., Mr. Jayashankar said they decided to proceed to Salem, where the railway officials promised to call a '108' ambulance.
'The TTE said there was no doctor or first aid box available on the train. My wife managed the bleeding with her handkerchief till paramedical staff attended to her on arrival at Salem Junction around 2.45 a.m.,' he said.
Mr. Jayashankar sought action against the authorities concerned not only for alleged dereliction of duty and the mental agony the family had to endure, but also to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in future.
Inquiries with railway officials revealed that the Train Manager (Guard) had a first aid box, like in all other trains in the Indian Railways. The managers were trained in rendering basic medical care, including dressing of wounds. The first aid boxes would be presented to a designated Senior Divisional Medical Officer in all divisions for inspection and change in medicines or consumables, if any.
First aid box
Southern Railway spokesperson M. Senthamil Selvan confirmed that a first aid box was available with the Train Manager of Train No. 22651.
He claimed that the Station Master of Morappur and the Train Manager were advised to attend to the patient, but the passenger wanted to proceed to Salem, saying Morappur was an unfamiliar place. There was no doctor travelling on the train, he said, adding that a departmental inquiry was immediately conducted to check the berth fittings and lapses, if any.