'Telangana police directed us to the wrong train': Manipuri students

Hyderabad: In what seems to be a case of miscommunication, a group from Manipur, comprising of students and employees, have boarded the wrong special train, allegedly under the directions of the Telangana Police.

The group, which consists of five students and employees from Manipur, alleged that they were asked to board the train on May 20 under the pretext that it would go to Jiribam, Manipur. However, a few stops later, after talking with another co-passenger, they got know that the train goes not to Jiribam, but to Agartala in Tripura state. Surprised, the group has been trying to find a solution to the issue since then.

Five students and migrant workers from Manipur from Telangana were placed on the wrong train going to Agartala instead of Jiribam, Manipur. #Covid_19 #hyderabadcitypolice #telanganacmo #telangana pic.twitter.com/IwmdVnGoqc

— 𝙹𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚑 (जोनाह) (@jtrichao) May 21, 2020

[amp-tweet tweetid="https://twitter.com/jtrichao/status/1263547000693223425"]

Angam Weapon, one of the students stuck in the train, said that he had asked the police officer about the destination and that he had confirmed that the destination was Jiribam. “We had applied for the pass and was called by Vanasthalipuram police. They said a train was available to Manipur, and therefore we were taken to Nampally railway station. Before boarding also, I asked an officer who confirmed the same. But latter, we got to know that we boarded the wrong train. Uppal police were also present at the railway station,” said Weapon, a 24-year-old student who studies at St. Mary’s group of institutions.

Meanwhile, N. Ch Ranga Swamy, Uppal Station House Officer (SHO) said that there were announcements given about the special train destinations, and people are sent only after confirmation. The official version from Vanasthalipuram police is awaited.

The matter came into light after Jonah Trichao, the chief co-ordinator for the Manipur Student Union, tweeted the issue on May 22. According to Jonah, there was no proper communication from the state officials about the time and availability of the trains. “The whole process has been chaotic, because no communication about travel arrangements were done in advance by the officials. As of now, two trains have left for Manipur, taking around 650-700 people. Students are informed on the day of travel that there is a train to their hometown on the same day. When I asked the nodal officers, they said they have no information about this,” the co-ordinator said.

Another passenger from Manipur, Nadeem Khan, who travelled to Jiribam via the special train on May 19, also alleged that the communication from officials was not proper. “It took around 58 hours to reach Jiribam. Around 1,200 persons were on the train, and it was too crowded. Had I known this before-hand, I would not have boarded it,” he said.

As of now, the Manipuri students and employees are planning to get down at Badarpur station in Assam. “We have tried to co-ordinate with Manipur state officials. Hopefully, they might arrange transport for us to Manipur from there,” said Angam.

When NewsMeter tried to contact Telangana's nodal officer Sandeep Kumar Sultania IAS, the official replied that they do not have any information regarding this.