Mumbai - Thiruvananthapuram Lokmanya Tilak passengers fined for not having tickets: Train delayed after Ayyappa devotees' ruckus

THRISSUR: Ayyappa devotees protested on the train after the TTE imposed a fine on passengers who did not have tickets. The train was held up at Thrissur railway station for 19 minutes due to this. The incident took place on Sunday in the Lokmanya Tilak train from Mumbai to Thiruvananthapuram North (Kochuveli).

Three of the 20 people who were going to Sabarimala from Karnataka did not have tickets. The problem arose when the TTE questioned this. When the TTE informed them that they had to pay a fine, the devotees went down to the first platform of the Thrissur railway station and protested by chanting Ayyappa Sharanam.

The train reached Thrissur railway station at 2.19 and departed at 2.38. This was a train that had a stop of only two minutes in Thrissur. The protesting devotees were informed of the situation and the train continued its journey after all three paid a fine of Rs. 1,000 each. It was the RPF and Railway Police who intervened and calmed the situation.