Thousands of farmers returning to Kolhapur in Maharashtra, after attending a rally in New Delhi on Monday, ended up in Madhya Pradesh after the train they were on travelled 160 km in the wrong direction, News18 reported.
The Railways had booked the Swabhimani Express for farmers from the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, who on Monday attended a demonstration at the Jantar Mantar demanding of debt relief and better support price for their produce, NDTV reported.
The train left Delhi late on Tuesday night and reportedly got diverted to the wrong tracks at the Mathura station. Instead of taking the Western Railway route, it ended up on the Central Railway tracks. By the time the driver realised what had happened, the train was already at the Banmore station near Gwalior.
“We left Delhi at 10 pm on Tuesday and woke up at 6 am to find ourselves at the Banmore railway station in Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh,” Mahavir Patil, one of the passengers, told News18. “After Agra, we had to move towards Kota in Rajasthan, but because of serious negligence by the Railways, we are now in MP.”
Angry about this bizarre mix-up, the passengers asked the station master at Banmore for information. When he told them he had no idea how it happened, the farmers protested on the tracks and even stopped a goods train.
The Agra controller is likely responsible for the train ending up in the wrong state, NDTV reported, citing unidentified officials.
The train was later redirected towards Jhansi. The farmers are expected to reach their destination by Thursday morning.
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