Indian train travels nearly 100 miles in the 'wrong direction'

Passengers say 'lives were at risk' after alleging train was travelling in the wrong direction

Passenger trains in India have experienced a number of incidents in 2017 (iStock/Getty Images)

Farmers in India reported waking up to discover that the train they were travelling on had travelled 99 miles in the “wrong direction”.

Roughly 1,500 farmers were travelling to Maharashtra, a state in the country’s west and home to the city of Mumbai. The group had been taking part in a protest rally in Delhi before realising, after several hours of travel, that its chartered train wasn’t following its agreed route. The railway firm denies the allegation.

Sagar Shambhushete, one of the farmers on the train, told the BBC: "We started the journey at 10pm on Tuesday and reached Mathura in Uttar Pradesh state past midnight. At around 4am, we realised that the train had reached the central state of Madhya Pradesh, which wasn't on our agreed route," adding that they stopped the train and protested at a small station called Banmore in Madhya Pradesh.

Mumbai experienced tragedy when a stampede at a train station killed at least 23 in September 2017 (iStock/Getty Images)

"Our lives were at risk. The train was on a wrong route, an accident could have happened. We agreed to get back on the train after the railway authorities promised us that we were safe," he said.

Officials from the railway firm deny the passengers’ safety was ever at risk.

In a statement, the firm said: "Special trains are run through a route which is conveniently available to the railway operation. The passengers might have felt confused because of the different route used in their return journey. There was no negligence and diversion."

India has had a number of train incidents this year. In August, a derailment in Northern India ultimately left 23 dead, while a stamped in Mumbai in September left at least 23 dead.