No toilets in train, allege security forces

New Delhi

Officials said the forces have registered a complaint in this regard with the Central Reserved Police Force, the nodal force for poll deployment in the states, and the Election Commission.

On May 1, the security personnel drawn from CISF and certain other forces were to board a special train from Dankuni in West Bengal to Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu, a distance close to 2,000-km, covered in over 32 hours.

The commander of the unit then sent a compliant to the Dankuni Station Master saying, “While examining the coaches, it was found that three bogies don’t have toilets and these have not have been inter-connected with each other. In the above situation travelling for two days is not feasible for the personnel. We have requested that the three bogies are replaced with alternative arrangement immediately.”

A senior official involved in election monitoring and deployment of security forces told PTI, “An acknowledged copy of the complaint has now been sent to both the Central Industrial Security Force and Central Reserve Police Force headquarters here which has now been communicated to the EC and also to the Railway Ministry.”

The troops had to undertake the journey as there was ‘no alternative arrangement’ made for them, the official said.

He said it is a ‘very rare occasion’ that such a train, with unkempt seats, had been provided to the forces which are instrumental in ensuring free and fair conduct of the polls.

The complaint, along with the pictures of the train taken by the troops, has been sent for undertaking proper action, the official said.