Railway mock drill sends wrong signals

The rumour began to spread around 12 pm when the officials of Public Relations Department informed journalists at the Collectorate that the Guruvayur Express had collided with a bus at Thenur near Cholavandhan in Madurai district. They also said that Collector, K Veera Raghav Rao, will be visiting the spot. 

As time went by, people started inquiring about casualties too. In the meantime, when the railway police were inquired, an RPF personnel informed that he too had heard about the accident and was on the way to the spot. 

It turned more serious when the RPF personnel precisely said it was gate no 342 in Thenur village. Following that when police sources were asked about the incident they informed that Madurai SP, Vijeyendra Bidari, was on way to the spot. However, local sources claimed that there was no such accident.

Again when Railway officials were inquired they clarified that it was just a mock drill on safety and Guruvayur Express was not linked with it. When an engine was used for mock drill it was wrongly assumed that it was Guruvayur Express which passed that way. Only after the confirmation from the Railways department, the panic subsided in the Collectorate and Madurai SP returned to his office. However, the news was rolled out as a scrolling in a satellite TV and as time went by rumours took various turns such as a fire accident in Guruvayur Express.