Bhopal: Man flushes Rs 6,000 down the drain after getting locked in Vande Bharat Train bathroom

Bhopal: Abdul Qadir, a resident of Hyderabad, faced an unfortunate incident when he accidentally got locked inside a Vande Bharat train while using its bathroom at the Bhopal railway station. The incident resulted in him losing Rs 6,000 in fines and additional expenses.

Abdul, accompanied by his wife and 8-year-old son, was traveling from Hyderabad to Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh. They had a layover at Bhopal station, waiting for their train to Singrauli scheduled for 8.55 pm.

Feeling an urgent need to use the toilet, Abdul boarded an Indore-bound Vande Bharat train. However, upon exiting the bathroom, he realized that the doors had been locked, and the train had already started moving.

Despite seeking help from ticket collectors and police personnel on the train, Abdul was unable to open the doors. He ended up paying a fine of Rs 1,020 for boarding without a valid ticket and had to get off at Ujjain, spending an additional Rs 750 on a bus ticket back to Bhopal.

During the incident, Abdul’s wife and son were left worried about his safety and decided not to board their planned train to Singrauli, causing a loss of Rs 4,000 in unused tickets.

Abdul expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of an emergency system on Vande Bharat trains, stating that the incident exposed flaws in the train’s emergency measures.

In response to Abdul’s allegations, Subedar Singh, the PRO of Bhopal Railway Division, explained that announcements are made before the train’s departure, indicating the direction of door openings and their locking for passenger safety. He clarified that stopping the train requires orders from higher authorities.