Train pilot gives control to son-in-law for fun

CHANDIGARH: Some men can go to any distance to please their sons-in-law. But a railways locomotive pilot truly stretched it when he allowed his layman son-in-law to take the controls of a passenger train for a joyride on a 17-km stretch between Delhi and Rewari in Haryana.
The pilot, Satish Shrivastav, has been suspended and the railways has filed a complaint with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) against him and his son-in-law Akash Bansal. Although the joyride took place in April 13, 2014, Shrivastav has been suspended only now after Bansal himself sent a video CD to the railway authorities in which he is seen manoeuvring the train.North Western Railway's chief public relations officer Tarun Jain said a departmental inquiry was ordered on June 8.
Shrivastv is a resident of Rewari while Bansal, a supervisor in a Delhi construction company, lives in Narhera village of Gurgaon. Bansal apparently sent the video clip to the railway authorities after he had a fight with his wife recently and was ticked off by Shrivastav. Bansal wanted to teach his father-in-law a lesson.
A senior railway official insisted that this was a "rarest of the rare incident" and that other pilots wouldn't try such stunts. "No person other than of an authorized railway official can enter the driving cabin," he said, requesting anonymity. "We don't think that the relative of the pilot was able to manoeuvre the train as it is a very specialized job needing eight years of experience. It may have been just a photo op, but it is still a serious matter."
The stunt happened when Bansal, along with a friend, met Shrivastav at the Rewari railway station just before he was to take the train to Delhi. The pilot offered to give the two a lift till Delhi in the driver's cabin. Shrivastav allegedly let Bansal take the driver's seat after he expressed a desire to do so. Bansal's friend made a video clip on his mobile phone of Bansal's 'adventure'.
Railway officials refused to give details of the case, including the name of the train. They, however, said the train had 13 to 14 coaches, each with a capacity of 72 passengers. Jain said the inquiry would reveal different aspects of the incident and the role of the pilot and other people.