Haridwar: The urge to take a ride on the premier Vande Bharat Express seems to have transcended from humans to wild beings, with a python attempting to sneak into the train at Haridwar railway station on Thursday.
Railway officials were not obliging though and got it captured by forest department staff.
There was a fair bit of confusion and panic at the washing line of the station at Haridwar station after the 10-feet-long reptile was spotted crawling on the tracks beneath a Vande Bharat Express.
According to officials, the Dehradun-Anand Vihar Vande Bharat Express had arrived from Dehradun around 11 am for cleaning and maintenance. The train was not operational at the time and was scheduled to depart for Dehradun later in the day.
Railway staff carrying out maintenance work spotted the python on the tracks beneath the train, near one of the coaches. They immediately alerted the forest department, following which a team from the Haridwar forest range reached the spot, as reported by The Times of India.
It took nearly two hours for forest ranger Aarti Pant, forest guard Rahul and forester Lakhan to track the python and capture it. The snake was later It was later released safely in the Rajaji forest, officials said.
“We appeal to people to immediately inform the forest department whenever wildlife is spotted in residential areas, railway premises or other public places,” Haridwar DFO Swapnil Anirudha Wayal said.
“Dehradun-Anand Vihar Vande Bharat Express was standing at the washing line for cleaning and maintenance when railway staff noticed a python. They immediately informed forest officials, who rescued the python and released it in Rajaji forest,” Mahesh Yadav, senior DCM of the Moradabad division said.