Bizarre! Railway services hit on Delhi-Howrah route as drunk assistant station master dozes off

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New Delhi: The North Central Railway services were disrupted on Delhi-Howrah route for about one-and-a-half hours on Wednesday (July 14, 2021) after the assistant station master (ASM) fell asleep on in duty allegedly under the influence of alcohol. 

According to a report in a leading news daily, important trains like Farakka and Magadh Express besides several other goods trains were stranded at various stations as a result of this. The report revealed that the assistant station master, Aniruddh Kumar, was not responding to any calls from his seniors, following which they rushed to the railway station where he was found asleep. 

The report also quoted the station master, Vishambhar Dayal, as saying that the ASM was found sleeping in his office allegedly after consuming liquor. Following the incident, a chargesheet has been filed in the case and the ASM has been suspended. A probe has been ordered in the incident. 

Additionally, the ASM was also taken to a railway hospital in Tundla for a medical examination. “The Assistant station master has been sent to Tundla for a medical examination to ascertain whether he was drunk. However, primarily, he was found to be sleeping,” a senior railway official said.