Many newspapers and news websites carried a story about New Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani Express, train number 12454 running 535 kilometers from Daltonganj to Ranchi under the pressure of a lone passenger. Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (Sr. DCM) Ranchi Avnish Kumar has categorically denied these reports. He said that the train did not travel the distance under lone passenger pressure.
The media reports quoted a passenger named Ananya that she was pressured to travel by bus or taxi, but was not ready for it as she had already paid for the train journey. Ananya was quoted claiming that she tweeted about her problem to the Indian Railways and later sent by the train.
Ananya is persuing her LLB degree from Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
The New Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani Express train number 12454 was stranded at Daltonganj due to more than 250 Tana Bhagats agitation at Tori Junction, performing puja, singing bhajans, and cooking food on the railway track. This affected the normal movement of several goods trains as well as the New Delhi Ranchi Rajdhani Express train number 12454.
Railway had arranged buses for the passengers from Daltonganj station with the help of local district administration. But Ananya refused to travel by bus as she said that she had paid for the train journey.
There were 930 passengers on board the Rajdhani Express out of which 929 were ferried by bus to their destinations.
The news was reported as Rajdhani Express was run to take one passenger to Ranchi.
Sr. DCM Avnish Kumar categorically denied the reality of the news and said,"The statement of Sr. DCM Dhanbad published along with the news was never made to anyone."
"It is again clarified that in anticipation of calling off the agitation the train was brought at DTO but after no positive development the stranded passengers were sent by buses with the help of district administration. At around 3 PM on September 3, based on purely technical reasons the Rajdhani Express was allowed to run to Ranchi Via Gaya-GMO-BKSC, "Kumar added.
He said," Sr. DCM Dhanbad was falsely quoted in the news, therefore, running of empty rake via diverted route has nothing to do with the demand of any passenger."
The distance between Daltonganj and Ranchi is about 500 km, while the diverted route was longer by approximately 50 km. News items published also claimed train ran 535 km for lone passenger, was found to be factually incorrect.
