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Patna: Railways cancelled 241 trains either originating from the East Central Railway (ECR) stations or passing through its jurisdiction as sporadic violent incidents at different railway stations under Danapur division marked the Bihar bandh call on Saturday.
The bandh call was given by the All India Students’ Association, the Revolutionary Youth Association, the Sena Bharti Jawan Morcha and the Rojgar Sangarsh Sanyukta Morcha in support of the agitating job aspirants’ protest against the Centre’s ‘Agnipath’ scheme for recruitment in armed forces for a short period of four years only. RJD, CPI-ML, CPI and CPM supported the bandh.
The Patna-Gaya section of the Danapur division under the ECR was the epicentre of violence and lawlessness. The bandh supporters in large numbers invaded Taregna railway station and set the station master’s office on fire. Railway traffic control panel, signalling, CCTV cameras and communication system were gutted in the fire as the violent mob ransacked station premises and broke other valuable fittings related to passenger amenities there.
The furious mob attacked the GRP men, who retaliated. The bandh supporters opened fire in the air to terrorise the railway staff on duty, sources said.
At Tehta, the bandh supporters threw a log of wood and fire balls on the rail tracks and in the circulating area of the station. They demanded rollback of the scheme. The Kuchman station on the Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction-Buxar-Ara- Patna mainline was ransacked, Danapur control room said.
The protesters attacked Raghunathpur and Tunniganj stations and removed pandrol clips used to fasten tracks. Sheikhpura station also witnessed stone pelting. Protesters also pelted stones at Guraru station near Gaya and damaged railway fittings and glass panes at Zamania station.
According to ECR chief public relations officer (CPRO) Birendra Kumar, railways cancelled as many as 241 passenger trains on Saturday following large-scale violence and arson incidents on Friday. The protesters had torched 60 coaches and 10 locomotives in Bihar on Friday, he said, adding all local passenger trains, including MEMUs and DEMUs running on various routes in the ECR, were cancelled for the safety of passengers.
Zonal railways from other states also cancelled mail and express trains reaching Bihar on Saturday. The New Delhi-Rajendra Nagar Terminal Tejas Rajdhani Express (12310), New Delhi-Rajendra Nagar Terminal Sampoorna Kranti Express (12394), Anand Vihar-Danapur Jan Sadharan Express (13258) and New Delhi-Rajgir Shramjeevi Express (12392) were among important passenger trains cancelled on Saturday.
Railways, however, decided to run a select number of passenger trains originating from the ECR jurisdiction on Saturday from 8pm on Saturday to 4am on Sunday and from 8pm on Sunday to 8am on Monday from the passengers’ safety point of view, Kumar said.
Kumar said the protesters had burned 21 LHB coaches of Vikramshila Express at Lakhisarai, four MEMU coaches at Kulharia, eight coaches of Janseva Express at Lakhisarai, two of MEMU at Fatuha, three ICF coaches of Farakka Express at Danapur, one ICF and six LHB coaches at the Danapur Yard, four LHB coaches of Magadh Express at Islampur and one ICF coach at Bakhtiayarpur. Sources said the cost of each AC LHB coach is about Rs2 crore while each general coach costs about Rs90 lakh.
The bandh call was given by the All India Students’ Association, the Revolutionary Youth Association, the Sena Bharti Jawan Morcha and the Rojgar Sangarsh Sanyukta Morcha in support of the agitating job aspirants’ protest against the Centre’s ‘Agnipath’ scheme for recruitment in armed forces for a short period of four years only. RJD, CPI-ML, CPI and CPM supported the bandh.
The Patna-Gaya section of the Danapur division under the ECR was the epicentre of violence and lawlessness. The bandh supporters in large numbers invaded Taregna railway station and set the station master’s office on fire. Railway traffic control panel, signalling, CCTV cameras and communication system were gutted in the fire as the violent mob ransacked station premises and broke other valuable fittings related to passenger amenities there.
The furious mob attacked the GRP men, who retaliated. The bandh supporters opened fire in the air to terrorise the railway staff on duty, sources said.
At Tehta, the bandh supporters threw a log of wood and fire balls on the rail tracks and in the circulating area of the station. They demanded rollback of the scheme. The Kuchman station on the Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction-Buxar-Ara- Patna mainline was ransacked, Danapur control room said.
The protesters attacked Raghunathpur and Tunniganj stations and removed pandrol clips used to fasten tracks. Sheikhpura station also witnessed stone pelting. Protesters also pelted stones at Guraru station near Gaya and damaged railway fittings and glass panes at Zamania station.
According to ECR chief public relations officer (CPRO) Birendra Kumar, railways cancelled as many as 241 passenger trains on Saturday following large-scale violence and arson incidents on Friday. The protesters had torched 60 coaches and 10 locomotives in Bihar on Friday, he said, adding all local passenger trains, including MEMUs and DEMUs running on various routes in the ECR, were cancelled for the safety of passengers.
Zonal railways from other states also cancelled mail and express trains reaching Bihar on Saturday. The New Delhi-Rajendra Nagar Terminal Tejas Rajdhani Express (12310), New Delhi-Rajendra Nagar Terminal Sampoorna Kranti Express (12394), Anand Vihar-Danapur Jan Sadharan Express (13258) and New Delhi-Rajgir Shramjeevi Express (12392) were among important passenger trains cancelled on Saturday.
Railways, however, decided to run a select number of passenger trains originating from the ECR jurisdiction on Saturday from 8pm on Saturday to 4am on Sunday and from 8pm on Sunday to 8am on Monday from the passengers’ safety point of view, Kumar said.
Kumar said the protesters had burned 21 LHB coaches of Vikramshila Express at Lakhisarai, four MEMU coaches at Kulharia, eight coaches of Janseva Express at Lakhisarai, two of MEMU at Fatuha, three ICF coaches of Farakka Express at Danapur, one ICF and six LHB coaches at the Danapur Yard, four LHB coaches of Magadh Express at Islampur and one ICF coach at Bakhtiayarpur. Sources said the cost of each AC LHB coach is about Rs2 crore while each general coach costs about Rs90 lakh.
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