NEW DELHI: The railways has ordered a detailed departmental inquiry after an unauthorised decorator was allowed to enter a First AC coach of Balharshah–Mumbai Nandigram Express and decorate a private coupe booked by a couple travelling to Mumbai.The inquiry has been initiated to ascertain the circumstances that led to the incident, fix responsibility and determine further action against those found accountable, an official said.According to railway officials, the passengers — Shubham and Sonali — had booked a G Coupe in the train on July 6 for their journey from Jalna to Mumbai, with boarding at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.The preliminary findings revealed that the couple had independently hired a decorator of Jalna through an online booking platform to decorate the coupe as part of a personal celebration. Acting on the arrangement, a representative of the decorator boarded the First AC coach at Jalna carrying decorative material and completed the decoration before the passengers boarded the train.Railway authorities said the decorator’s entry into the reserved First AC coach was completely unauthorised and violated established security and access protocols applicable to premium reserved coaches.Taking a serious view of the lapse, the railways has placed the on-duty chief ticket inspector under suspension with immediate effect pending the outcome of the departmental inquiry. Officials said the investigation will examine how the decorator gained access to the coach, whether prescribed checks by onboard staff and station personnel were followed, and if any other railway employees or private individuals were involved in facilitating the unauthorised entry.The inquiry will also assess whether there were breaches of security procedures at the station or inside the train and recommend measures to prevent recurrence of similar incidents.Railway officials stressed that access to reserved coaches, particularly First AC compartments, is regulated for security and passenger safety, and only authorised railway personnel and valid ticket holders are permitted entry. Any exception requires prior approval under prescribed rules.The incident has drawn attention to the enforcement of access control in premium coaches, with officials indicating that accountability will be fixed after completion of the inquiry. Further disciplinary action may be initiated depending on the findings of the investigation.
