'Thanks for ruining my Diwali': Crowd forces man with AC ticket to miss train home

Diwali rush: Visuals of the crowded train at Vadodara station in Gujarat shared by Anshul Sharma on X.

A 27-year-old man from Gujarat on Saturday slammed the Indian Railways for mismanagement after he was forced out of his train by a crowd of ticketless travellers despite having a confirmed 3-tier AC ticket. He also demanded a refund for his tatkal ticket fare.

Anshul Sharma wanted to rush home and spend Diwali with his ageing parents but instead, he was manhandled, laughed at, and made to watch as the tightly packed train that was supposed to take him home to Ratlam, pulled out of the Vadodara station without him.

Speaking to Moneycontrol, Sharma said that he was shocked to find the train jampacked with ticketless passengers when he reached the station. "I could see that the station was crowded but since I had a confirmed ticket, I wasn't worried but when the train arrived on the platform, I was shocked. People were literally spilling out of it," he said. Visuals of the night he shared on X are now viral.

PNR 8900276502
Indian Railways Worst management
Thanks for ruining my Diwali. This is what you get even when you have a confirmed 3rd AC ticket. No help from Police. Many people like me were not able to board. @AshwiniVaishnaw

I want a total refund of ₹1173.95 @DRMBRCWR pic.twitter.com/O3aWrRqDkq

— Anshul Sharma (@whoisanshul) November 11, 2023

The coaches were so crowded that passengers even had difficulty opening the doors, Sharma said. He could not open the door to his coach as well and tried to enter the next coach, but soon found himself sandwiched in the crowd. "Forget about me, there were women who were stuck in the crowd inside the train," he told Moneycontrol. "They kept requesting others to let them at least somehow move and get to their seats."

But Sharma realised that travelling like that was impossible and decided to get off the train and seek help. He and his friend, who had come to see him off, found a couple of policemen and approached them for help. "They laughed at me," Sharma said. "'What can we do in this mad rush?' they said. I was like at least try to help us. What is the point of you even being here then?"

Sharma then tried reaching out to the Railways and the passenger helpline centres but in vain. "Tickets were raised and declared resolved without even offering me a solution," Sharma said, adding that he wants the Railways to refund his fare of Rs 1,173.95.

See this is what they did in the name of providing solution pic.twitter.com/SErxDrIQOO

— Anshul Sharma (@whoisanshul) November 11, 2023

'I only had the weekend to spend with my ageing parents'
Sharma told Moneycontrol that he had recently joined a new job at an IT recruitment firm and did not have leaves for Diwali so he decided to spend the weekend with his parents and then return to work. "They are over 60 years old and are living by themselves," he said. Sharma could have taken a bus but he opted for the train because it would have taken him only about three hours to reach home.

He also shared that he used to work in Chennai but had taken up the new job in Vadodara only because it allowed him to visit his parents more frequently and easily. "But due to this madness, my parents and I will have to spend Diwali by ourselves, separated. Needless to say, they are very upset. I could see that when I told them the news on a video call," he added.

Sharma wasn't the only passenger with a confirmed ticket who faced this predicament. Responding to his post, several X users shared similar tales.

Disappointed with the experience on Dakshin Express 12721. Passengers with confirmed tickets are struggling to find seats. @RailMinIndia,@AshwiniVaishnaw @Central_Railway urgent attention needed to address this issue and ensure a smoother journey for passengers. #IndianRailways pic.twitter.com/7s2eocYjQi

— Akshay Kulkarni