After a report that an extra coach was attached to Padmavat Express on the request of the private secretary to Union Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Prakash Javadekar, the railway board on Sunday launched a probe.
According to an Aaj Tak report, Vinay Srivastava, the HRD minister’s private secretary and a 1992-batch Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers official, who was travelling with his wife and two children, had requested for seats on Padmavat Express (train number 19207) between Lucknow and Delhi railway station.
It was also reported that the extra coach was attached at the last moment due to which the train got delayed on Saturday.
The Hindu reports that Srivastava and the railway ministry have denied the allegations.
“The railway board has decided to conduct an inquiry into the matter. Prima facie it seems that many passengers were unable to get a confirmed ticket due to the festival rush. An extra coach was attached to the train to accommodate the passengers. It was mere coincidence that one of the passengers was HRD minister’s private secretary. The booking for the extra coach was announced at the ticket counter,” northern railway chief public relations officer Neeraj Sharma told the newspaper.
