New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar has assured strict action against officials found guilty in the alleged suicide of a 32-year-old railway officer in Agra, amid allegations of a toxic work culture and mental harassment, said Shiv Gopal Mishra, the General Secretary of the All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF), on Tuesday.
Abhishek Singh Kushwaha, an Assistant Operations Manager (AOM) in the Agra Railway Division, was found dead in a chamber at the divisional office around 11 pm on Sunday.
Kushwaha’s wife and mother have alleged that a toxic work culture and mental harassment by the Senior Divisional Operations Manager (Coordination) drove him to take his own life.
“It is a very unfortunate incident. I discussed it with the Railway Board Chairman on Monday evening, and he told me that he was aware of the issue. He promised me that strict action would be taken in this case,” the veteran trade union leader told PTI.
Mishra added, “I urged him to ensure a fair probe, as there have been allegations of harassment against the said officer in the past as well. The Federation demands a transparent probe and strict as well as visible action against the person.”
In her complaint to the police, Kushwaha’s wife levelled several serious allegations against the Senior Divisional Operations Manager (Coordination). She alleged that the officer subjected her husband to a stressful work environment, made him work from 9 am to 11 pm, and threatened to ruin his career if he did not follow his orders.
When contacted, Senior Divisional Operations Manager (Coordination) Kuldeep Meena said that he was not authorised to speak to the press.
However, Sanjay Gautam, PRO, Agra Division, dismissed the allegations, saying, “All the allegations against the officer are baseless. Since the police investigation is underway, I cannot say anything about the case at the moment.”
Some officials also suspected that a sudden provocation might have driven Kushwaha to take the extreme step.
“Why didn’t he commit suicide at home? Why did he take such an extreme step in the office? There must have been some highly compelling circumstances that need to be investigated,” a senior official from the NCR zone said.
Officials said that Meena had courted controversy in the past as well over allegations of harassment of officials working under him.
A few years ago, the then Divisional Chief Controller, Dinesh Kapil, alleged in his petition before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) that he had been provoked by Kuldeep Meena into opting for voluntary retirement (VRS) following an argument on November 3, 2022.
Meena had denied the allegations, claiming that Kapil had misbehaved with him. According to Kapil’s submission before the CAT, following the altercation, he submitted his VRS application on a piece of paper. However, five days later, after realising his mistake, he decided to withdraw it.
The department, however, refused to entertain his request and issued an order on November 11, 2022, accepting his VRS application and declaring him retired from service.
Kapil challenged the decision before the CAT, which ruled in his favour. The Railway administration was directed not only to reinstate Kapil but also to pay him over Rs 30 lakh in arrears of salary and allowances for the period during which he had remained out of service. PTI JP JP NB
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