New Delhi, March 3 A frustrated loco pilot, who was denied sick leave after undergoing surgery for piles, reportedly undressed himself in front of a senior officer in the Lucknow Rail Division to show the unhealed wounds in his private parts, a loco staff union claimed on Tuesday.
A video of the incident, recorded by the loco pilot's colleagues, has been widely circulated on various WhatsApp groups of railway employees, who have expressed outrage over what they describe as inhumane treatment.
Leaders of the All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA) claimed that the desperate act by loco pilot Rajesh Meena – who belongs to the Scheduled Tribe community – failed to persuade Chief Crew Controller (CCC) Ratan Kumar. According to the union, Kumar refused to grant Meena leave. The loco pilot then approached a union leader from his community, who spoke to senior officers in the division, after which, Meena was granted leave, the leaders said.
When contacted, Sunil Kumar Verma, Divisional Railway Manager, Lucknow Division under the Northern Railway Zone, did not immediately respond to the issue.
In the purported video of the incident, Meena and his colleagues can be seen confronting Ratan Kumar for denying medical leave.
"It is so shameful that a loco pilot has to take off his pants before his senior to convince him for medical leave, and then he gets a refusal in return," K C James, secretary general, AILRSA, said.
He added, "We work day and night to take people to their destinations so that they can celebrate festivals with their relatives and family members. Is this the kind of treatment we should expect from the Railway administration?"
Meena's colleagues have also recorded a video in which he narrates his plight and discernible stress.
He explains in the video that he had been suffering from piles for a long time and, after unsuccessful treatment in Indore, underwent surgery on February 22 in Lucknow.
"After a lot of persuasion, Meena was granted leave for surgery from Feb 22 to Feb 28, but when his wound didn’t heal within a week, he followed the laid down procedure and first approached the Railway Health Unit for extension of leave," Adarsh Kumar Gupta, assistant secretary general, AILRSA, Northern Zone, said, elaborating on Meena's case.
Gupta said that he spoke to Meena and was shocked to find out about his situation.
"The doctor from the unit checked him thoroughly and, after being convinced that he had a genuine reason to be granted leaves, asked him to bring a 'sick memo' from his seniors. Meena approached the crew controller and then the CCC for the said memo," Gupta added.
AILRSA leaders said that Meena showed various medical documents, including lab reports (CBC, glucose and hepatitis screening) and prescriptions, as well as the bandages and dressings he used at home to prove his condition to the CCC, but the officer was apparently not convinced. Meena has also narrated this sequence of events in a recorded video.
"He had no option but to take off his pants and show his wound," Gupta said, adding that the union has demanded strict action against CCC Ratan Kumar.