Southern Railways asked for report on violent incidents

Acting on a joint memorandum submitted by all unions except the SRMU in the zone on April 25, 2016, Nirmala U Tirkey, deputy director of Railway Board, in her August 10, 2016 letter (copy available with DTNext), had sought the GM’s feedback on a number of issues raised in the memorandum, particularly 29 incidents of targeted attacks (some violent and also sexual harassment charges) on staff and officers by the members of the recognised union. 

Pursuant to the letter, the personnel department had sent a circular (copy available) on August 24, 2016 to managers of all six divisions in the zone, asking them to furnish detailed remarks on the points raised in the memorandum, which also includes a recent attack on a trackman in Airyalur. 

Meanwhile, Southern Railway Officer’s Association (SROA) has circulated a memorandum among its member officers asking them to sign it before October 14 so as to press the GM for derecognizing SRMU for threatening all India service officers. 

The memorandum (copy available) also accuses certain union members of indulging in mobbing, criminal intimidation and lodging false cases against officers on numerous instances. SROA has decided to meet in the third week of this month to discuss the issue and take it up with the ministry. 

Pertinently, four commercial department staff, parcel clerk Fx Issac Johnson, ticketing inspector V Thamaraiselvan, chief ticketing inspector B Jayachandran and enquiry cum reservation clerk Thajudeen Aslam led by former divisional secretary Palanivel (retired from service) for allegedly harassing and wrongfully restraining the senior divisional commercial manager there on Wednesday afternoon.

Around 30 office bearers of a union led by its division secretary Palanivel (retired) allegedly manhandled Trichy Sr DCM Arun Thomas in his chamber around 12 pm on Wednesday.

They barged in to his room and began to abuse him before locking the room from within and thereby restricting his exit. The union members were said to have targeted Thomas, for issuing transfer orders to TTEs among other commercial employees.

Prior to the incident, the union members had even stuck posters vilifying the Sr DCM. Both parties had preferred a police complaint.