Delhi Metro's Blue Line Services Hit After Staff Protest Assault on Station Manager

New Delhi: A station manager at Dwarka Sector 21 metro station was allegedly beaten up by a few Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel on Thursday after a tiff over a minor issue, officials said.

The incident, which led to temporary suspension of services between Dwarka Sector-21 and Janakpuri West stations after 9 pm, has prompted the CISF to order an inquiry into the alleged assault.

According to sources, the incident at around 12:30 pm was triggered by an argument that ensued when a tyre of a vehicle apparently belonging to the CISF was "deflated" since it was parked in an "unauthorised zone" outside the premises of Dwarka Sector 21 station.

"A CISF personnel then asked a DMRC staff as to why was it done. The staff told him that since it was parked illegally, the station manager had ordered to deflate the tyre," a source said.

The CISF is tasked with guarding the Delhi Metro facilities. "That CISF staff, along with a couple of other personnel, then went to the room of the station manager and thrashed him," the source alleged.

Dwarka Sector-21 is the terminus of the busy Blue Line (Dwarka Sector-21-Noida City Centre/Vaishali) corridor. "A complaint has been lodged on the matter by the DMRC and the CISF is taking up the issue departmentally also. Senior officers from both the DMRC and CISF had to intervene to sort out the issue," a senior DMRC official said.

A CISF spokesperson, when contacted said, "An inquiry has been ordered and action will be taken based on its findings."

The spokesperson, however, claimed that the station manager had "verbally abused" the CISF personnel before the assault incident took place.

A senior CISF official said, they would try to resolve the issue amicably.

Due to the issue, services on Dwarka Sector 21-Janakpuri West section were affected for a while. "The services on Blue Line from Dwarka Sector 21 to Janakpuri West were put on hold temporarily from 9:10 pm onwards due to DMRC staff agitating over the assault (by CISF personnel) issue," the DMRC later said.

The services were resumed around 9:45 pm, it said. Services on the line from Janakpuri West to Noida City Centre/Vaishali were running normal, a DMRC official said.