Varkala: The autorickshaw and passengers were reportedly locked inside the gatekeeper level crossing for questioning the delay in opening the railway gate. The incident took place at 4.30 am on Wednesday at the Varkala Punnamoodu railway gate.
Sajan and his mother Susie, both from Varkala, were traveling in Ashish’s car when the accident happened. It is alleged that the lifting barrier was lowered and they were locked inside the gate for 10 minutes. The provocation was triggered by the auto driver questioning that the gate was not opened even after the train had left.
Sajan, his wife Aditya and mother were traveling on the Ernad Express from Thiruvananthapuram to Alappuzha. They had to move to D-7 compartment and then to another. When the train reached Varkala, they got out and tried to board D-7. When Sajan’s wife got on, the train started moving and the others could not get on. Sajan’s wife informed him over the phone that he could reach Kollam station in another vehicle and wait there.
Sajan and his mother then drove from Varkala to Kollam in an autorickshaw. The Punnamoodu gate on the way was found closed even though the train had passed by. The gatekeeper started to open when the auto driver’s horn rang.
When the auto entered the gate, the driver questioned the gatekeeper about it. He then lowered the lifting barrier and blocked the auto. With this, there was a dispute between the two. The auto driver said the gate opened about 10 minutes later. The auto driver lodged a complaint with the railway authorities about the incident.
Content Highlights: Autorickshaw with Passengers locked at the railway level crossing
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