A simple “OK” uttered by a station master to end a phone argument with his wife led to a major mishap, resulting in a 3 crore loss for the railways. The seemingly harmless message was misinterpreted by a colleague as confirmation to send a train through a Maoist-affected zone during restricted hours. Although no accident occurred, the unauthorized route violated night-time restrictions, causing significant financial damage. As a result, the station master was suspended.
The 40-year-old station master, who married a woman from Durg district in Chhattisgarh in 2011, cited this incident, along with other issues, as his reason for seeking a divorce. After the event in March 2012, he filed for divorce in Visakhapatnam, but his wife accused him of cruelty and harassment, even alleging an affair with his sister-in-law.
The case was transferred to Durg, and when the family court rejected his petition, the station master approached the Chhattisgarh High Court. The court noted that the dowry allegations could not be substantiated and granted the divorce.