We have all been in that situation when you are running late for your train or flight due to various reasons. While many manage to catch the train just before it leaves the platform, there are others who miss it and look for alternative options. However, a minister from Uttar Pradesh took things to the next level. Minister Dharampal Singh of Uttar Pradesh used his official car, a Toyota Fortuner, to reach the platform of Lucknow railway station as he was running late for the train. A video of the Minister’s VVIP vehicle inside the railway station has already surfaced online and gone viral.
The Animal Husbandry Minister of Uttar Pradesh was on his way to Bareilly; however, he was getting too late to catch the train on time. In order to reach the platform on time, he simply drove the SUV onto the platform. In the circulating online videos, we can see the Fortuner reversing on a ramp that is actually built for wheelchairs and differently-abled individuals. The minister had parked the car on the platform, creating a lot of inconvenience and chaos inside the station. It is not clear if the minister’s security vehicle was also taken onto the platform.
After the video went viral, people have criticized the minister for his irresponsible behavior. According to reports, the minister parked his car on the platform of the railway station, got out of the SUV, and took the escalator to reach his train on time. The minister was supposed to take the Howrah-Amritsar Express train, which arrives at platform number 4 of Charbagh railway station. Government Railway Police officers present at the scene told ANI that the minister was running late to catch the train, so his car was taken to the disabled ramp in front of the railway station, and he was taken directly to the platform via the escalator.
People also expressed their opinions on social media and criticized the minister. One of them mentioned that if a common man had done such a thing, heavy fines might have been imposed, and the authorities might have taken legal action as well. This is not the first time Minister Dharampal Singh has stirred up controversy. Prior to this, he was in the news for a remark he made against stray bulls in the state. The opposition responded to the remark by blocking the minister’s convoy with distressed farmers while he was on his way to inaugurate a polyclinic for stray cattle in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.
There are even tweets suggesting that the minister intentionally drove the car into the railway station to avoid walking. A similar incident occurred a few years ago in Mumbai, where a young man drove a Hyundai sedan onto the platform of Andheri railway station. Mumbai Police arrested the driver in that case. Railway police officers confiscated the car and the driver was taken into custody, being booked under various sections of the Railway Act. In this case, however, we clearly see the minister’s VVIP vehicle leaving the station after the minister disembarked.