The railways on Friday said the Delhi Police had suspended a GRP constable for trying to ferry migrant workers to their hometowns in an empty train on March 26.
RPF DG Arun Kumar said the Government Railway Police (GRP) constable had taken money from the migrant workers, saying he would help them get to their hometowns by train.
CCTV footage at the New Delhi railway station showed that the constable, initially identified as an inspector of the GRP, facilitated around 45 people to get aboard an empty rake of the Magadh Express on Thursday, the railways said.
"They assembled at the GRP chauki, near metro gate number 1 at the New Delhi railway station. Then they moved to platform number 16 through an opening for construction work. When the RPF personnel saw this, additional force was called and all of them were de-boarded from the train and ousted from the station. The train is still at the station," Northern Railway Spokesperson Deepak Kumar said.
Sources said across the railway network, around 600 empty rakes were stranded away from their home bases and the local railway authorities had come under pressure to allow migrant workers to travel to their homes on these rakes.
In an order, the railways has stopped the movement of all empty rakes.
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"The CCTV footage showed that he (the GRP constable) took money from the contractor to facilitate the workers to board the train, but was spotted by RPF personnel, who immediately deboarded them," Kumar told PTI.
Sources said the inspector took Rs 500 each from the desperate workers and shoved them into the rakes, which were not going anywhere.
"Head Constable Satish Rathi of the GRP thana in New Delhi has been suspended by the DCP, Railways and sent to the GRP Lines on March 27. Involvement of the SHO, GRP and any RPF personnel is being looked into," Kumar said.
The workers were promised to be taken to Allahabad, where the train was supposed to be returning along with some operating crew and onboard staff, the sources added.