Mob burns a station, two trains; order against halt withdrawn

Patna/Kolkata, Jun 1 (PTI) Angry villagers Monday
torched six rail bogies and a station near here protesting
against the cancellation of stoppage of a train following
which India'sRailway Minister Mamata Banerjee withdrew the
order against the halt and set up a departmental inquiry.

Thousands of villagers, perturbed over withdrawal of
stoppage of the Rajgir-New Delhi Shramjivi Express at
Khusrupur, ransacked and torched the station and six bogies of
two trains, and uprooted tracks under Danapur division, about
32 kms from eastern state Bihar's capital Patna.

They stormed the station building, situated on
Patna-Rajgir section of the East Central Railway, as soon as
it was announced over the public address system that the
stoppage of the Shramjivi express had been withdrawn, ECR
chief public relations officer A K Chandra said.

The mob set fire to the 3226 down Danapur-Jainagar
Intercity Express and the 543 Rajgir-Danapur passenger trains
at Baikatpur village near the station, he said. Four general
chair car coaches and an airconditioned chair car compartment
of Danapur-Jainagar Intercity express were burnt, he said.

The mob also set afire a generator bogie of the
Rajgir-Danapur passenger train, which arrived there a short
while after the intercity reached.

Clarifying that her ministry had issued no such order,
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said in Kolkata that the halt
of the train at the station will continue like in the past and
ordered a departmental inquiry on the decision to withdraw the
stoppage.

Banerjee said, "As the Railway Minister I am not in
favour of withdrawing any facility and it has been done
locally without the consent of my Ministry."

She told reporters that she had talked to Bihar Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar and clarified that neither she nor the
Railway Ministry had issued any instruction on the issue of
withdrawal of the halts.

She said if any railway official was found involved,
action will be taken against him.


Shortly after her statement, the Railway Board made it
clear in New Delhi that no train stoppages would be withdrawn
in Bihar and said the decision to review the halts was not
taken either by the Board or the Minister.

"...In view of the public sentiments, the Board
has directed that the stoppage that were withdrawn be restored
with immediate effect," Railway Board Member (Traffic) Sri
Prakash said.

He said station master of the Khusropur station had
announced over the public address system the decision to
withdraw the stoppage.

The agitators also uprooted several metres of railway
tracks, Chandra said.

Fire tenders fought for hours to douse the flames
engulfing the bogies, he said. PTI Team
AM
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