Latest news with #HemkuntExpress
Hindustan Times
12-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Mumbai women hang on to footboard of moving train after Kalyan Ladies Special delayed by 40 mins. Watch
In a shocking incident, a group of women were seen travelling in a local train in Mumbai, not inside but outside of it. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), an account named Mumbai Railway Users posted the brief clip sharing details of what prompted the women to travel in such a manner. In the video, the women held onto the train as they stood on a footboard hanging outside. One of them was also heard screaming. Another woman quickly turned her face away when she saw they were being recorded. As per the post, the Kalyan Ladies Special was delayed by 40 minutes forcing them to take this step. The train plies between Kalyan and Mumbai CST. The video was shared with the caption, "#ViralVideo #CRFixLocalTrainDelays Today's Ladies Special from Kalyan was delayed by 40 mins, forcing women to hang on the footboard—an unsafe and risky commute. Railways term this dangerous, yet delays continue. @AshwiniVaishnaw, pls review the delay data." The official account of Railway Seva wrote, "For necessary action escalated to the concerned official." A person commented, "It is a daily chorus of bona fide passengers and taxpayers, @AshwiniVaishnaw. Hon'ble Minister should take appropriate actions to save the life and Lifeline of MMR citizens." A comment read, 'No one forced them. They just value their life less. There is always a next train late to waise bhi hua hai.' A tweet read, "This is a very serious issue every mumbaikar has to survive due to the delay of all the trains." Another person asked, "Why do local trains move at all if they are overloaded. It's the Railways and @grpmumbairesponsibility to ensure Passenger safety. This has always been overlooked. And it's time to change." A tweet read, 'What is happening nowadays daily local trains are running late, and after asking on social media their is no answer from railway authority?' A person tweeted, 'This is not just a delay, this is the everyday scene.' Another news about the railways emerged a few days ago, when a YouTuber was reportedly assaulted by pantry staff at night. He had allegedly filed a complaint about overpriced food. The Ministry of Railways wrote on X, 'After a detailed investigation into the incident involving the mishandling of a passenger on Train No. 14609 Hemkunt Express by the on-board catering staff, @IRCTCofficial has terminated its catering contract with Hotel Rajasthan with immediate effect.'
News18
09-05-2025
- News18
Hemkunt Express: Indian Railways Cancels Caterer's Contract After Passenger Assaulted Over Rs 15 Water
Last Updated: The Hemkunt Express runs between Rishikesh and Katra, a key route for pilgrims visiting the Sri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. Indian Railways has swiftly cancelled the catering contract with Hotel Rajasthan after a shocking incident on the Hemkunt Express, where a passenger was allegedly beaten by catering staff for complaining about being overcharged. The cancellation was announced on Thursday via the Ministry of Railways' official account on social media platform X, following a detailed investigation. After a detailed investigation into the incident involving the mishandling of a passenger on Train No. 14609 Hemkunt Express by the on-board catering staff, @IRCTCofficial has terminated its catering contract with Hotel Rajasthan with immediate effect.— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) May 8, 2025 What Happened on Board The incident took place on 6th May aboard the Hemkunt Express, which runs between Rishikesh and Katra, the gateway to the Vaishno Devi shrine. A passenger travelling in Third AC raised a complaint after being charged more than the approved price for basic items like water, coffee, and noodles. The passenger used the RailMadad app to file a complaint and later shared a video of the incident online. What started as a pricing complaint soon turned violent. The passenger was allegedly attacked by a group of men, believed to be associated with the catering staff. The man later appealed for justice and demanded strict action, saying the attackers tried to seriously harm him. Swift Action by Indian Railways Following a detailed investigation, the Ministry of Railways announced on X (formerly Twitter) that it had: The IRCTC added that the matter had been escalated to senior officials to ensure quick action. Indian Railways stated this move is part of a larger effort to protect passengers from overcharging and misconduct by onboard service providers. First Published: May 09, 2025, 09:36 IST
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- The Hindu
IRCTC terminates contract with vendor after company staff manhandle passenger on train
After a detailed investigation into the incident involving the mishandling of a passenger on Hemkunt Express by catering staff onboard the train, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has terminated its catering contract with Hotel Rajasthan with immediate effect, the state-owned PSU said on Thursday (May 8, 2025). A penalty of ₹5 lakh was imposed on the company and an FIR lodged by the Government Railway Police (GRP), Kathua. A passenger who was travelling in the 3AC coach of Train No. 14609 to Vaishno Devi was allegedly manhandled by the catering staff employed by the IRCTC-appointed vendor, a few hours after he filed an online complaint on RailMadad app about being overcharged for a bottle of water. A video of the incident was posted by the passenger on his YouTube channel, and a clip also shared on X went viral on Thursday. In the video, several men — allegedly pantry staff dressed in green T-shirts — are seen walking towards the passenger, and asking him to come down from his upper berth. The men demanded the passenger to descend, and when he refused, one of them climbed up and started pulling at his clothes. In a video, the passenger later said that he had sustained minor injuries due to the scuffle. The termination letter sent by IRCTC to M/s Hotel Rajasthan stated: 'An incident regarding overcharging and sale of unapproved brand of portable drinking water (PDW) on [Train No.] 14609 was reported… and incident of manhandling by the licensee staff was reported... Your vendor has been identified as Mr. Pawan Kumar and photo retrieved from the complaint on X which establish that the vendor is of M/s Rajasthan.' 'The video uploaded by the complainant clearly establishes that the complainant was threatened and manhandled by licensee staff including Mr. Pawan Kumar. The licensee vendor, Mr. Pawan Kumar has acted in a criminal manner, which has tarnished the image of IRCTC and the Indian Railways,' it further stated. IRCTC said that the matter was in breach of Clause 5.12, which states that the licensee will not carry on any unlawful/illegal activity in pantry car/at stations, and deemed it a fit case of termination of contract.
Hans India
08-05-2025
- Hans India
Indian Railways terminates catering contract with Hotel Rajasthan after passenger assaulted
New Delhi: Indian Railways on Thursday terminated its catering contract with Hotel Rajasthan with immediate effect after a disturbing incident on the Hemkunt Express, where a passenger was allegedly assaulted by catering staff. The Ministry of Railways shared the update on social media platform X, stating the action followed a detailed investigation into the mishandling of the passenger. The incident took place on May 6 aboard the Hemkunt Express, which travels between Rishikesh and Katra, the base camp for the Sri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. A passenger in the Third AC coach had complained about being overcharged for water, coffee, and noodles. Although only Rail Neer water is authorised at Rs 15, he was sold another brand for Rs 20. Coffee and noodles were also priced above their official rates. The passenger filed a complaint via the RailMadad app and later posted video footage of the incident online. The situation escalated when a group of men allegedly confronted and assaulted him in retaliation for his complaint. The video showed the group trying to force him down from his berth and physically attacking him. He later appeared on camera with visible injuries and torn clothes. The passenger accused the staff of trying to harm him and appealed for strict action. Responding swiftly, the Ministry of Railways imposed a Rs 5 lakh penalty on the caterer and confirmed that an FIR had been registered by the Government Railway Police in Kathua. IRCTC also addressed the issue on X, saying it had been escalated to the authorities concerned for immediate action. The termination of the contract is part of Indian Railways' move to ensure passenger safety and prevent overcharging and misconduct by service providers on trains.
News18
08-05-2025
- News18
Vlogger Attacked Inside 3AC Coach Over Pricing Complaint; Video Sparks Outrage
Last Updated: After complaining about an overcharge, a passenger was assaulted on a 3AC coach. A travel vlogger, who complained about being overcharged for food and bottled drinking water, was allegedly attacked by railway pantry employees. In a video posted on X (previously Twitter), the vlogger, travelling in the third AC compartment, said he was threatened after he called out the pantry service's excessive prices. The incident happened on the Hemkunt Express (Train No. 14609). In the now-viral clip, the vlogger is seen confronting the railway staff for charging Rs 20 for a bottle of water priced at Rs 15 and Rs 20 for a Rs 10 coffee. A video of the incident has sparked outrage on social media. 'This is The Passenger Security in 3rd AC of Indian Railway #shame. When I complained about overcharging in Train by Pantry, an attempt was made to kill me," the post on X read. The vlogger also shared the train number and his PNR status in the post. Watch the video here: This is The Passenger Security in 3rd AC of Indian Railway #shame || When I complained about overcharging in Train by Pantry , an attempt was made to kill me 😭😭Train no.14609PNR – 2434633402 @RailMinIndia @IRCTCofficial @narendramodi @RailwayNorthern @AshwiniVaishnaw — (@Mrvishalsharma_) May 7, 2025 In the video, the vlogger requests a new brand of packaged drinking water rather than a local one. The pantry staff responds with 'Yehi mila" (I only have this). He then requests the pantry staff to sell it at Rs 15. After displaying the bottle to his camera, the vlogger reads the label out loud: 'Wavy Wonder Aqua." The vlogger, later in the video, points out another example of overpricing: a cup of coffee that should cost Rs 10 according to Indian Railways' standard price is being sold for twice the amount. He then said a packet of instant noodles, which normally costs about Rs 40, was being sold for Rs 50. After that, the vlogger uses the Railways app to make a complaint and gets a response. 'Closing Remarks by Railways: Passenger has been attended and, as per the passenger, the service provider is selling local water named Wonder Aqua in the train for Rs 20. The matter has been apprised to the concerned authorities for suitable action," the response reads. The vlogger is then seen lying on his top berth with the lights off in the video. He is suddenly asked to come down by a pantry staff member, who says someone from the control room has arrived to meet him. Following several calls, the employee turns on the lights. The presence of three pantry employees is now clearly visible in the video. After that, one of the pantry employees begins to pull the vlogger's leg while the other keeps calling him out. Passengers who hear the commotion advise the pantry staff not to exacerbate the situation because a baby is sleeping. But their plea is ignored. The vlogger is then attacked by the pantry employees after they scale to his seat. Since going viral, the video has garnered over 3.6 million views so far. As public criticism escalated, Railway Seva, the official support account for Indian Railways, addressed the issue on X. Kindly look into this matter @rpfnr_ — RailwaySeva (@RailwaySeva) May 7, 2025 Later, the vlogger disclosed that the pantry staff attacked him. He had blood on his hands and clothes torn. According to the Hindustan Times, Railway Seva acknowledged that a Rs 5 lakh penalty was issued on the caterer, and a FIR had been initiated. First Published: May 08, 2025, 16:02 IST
