The mob vandalized trains and railway properties at Secunderabad railway station in protest against the central government’s ‘Agneepath’ plan.
Highlight
- Officials said that the protesters have set fire to the coaches of seven trains so far.
- Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav urges youth not to destroy railway property
- Southern Railway said that trains going towards Bihar and Eastern UP will be short terminated
Agnipath scheme protest: The Railways on Friday said over 300 trains have been affected so far and over 234 have been cancelled, in protest against the Agneepath scheme for recruitment to the defense services. It said that 94 mail and express trains and 140 passenger trains have been canceled due to the protest, while 65 mail and express and 30 passenger trains have been partially cancelled. Railways has also diverted 11 mail and express trains. Officials said that the total number of trains affected so far is 340.
According to the last statement of the zonal railways, 164 trains were canceled in East Central Railway (ECR), 34 in North Eastern Railway (NER), 13 in Northern Railway (NR) and about three in Northeast Frontier Railway.
Officials said that so far seven coaches of the train have been set ablaze by the protesters and three trains running in ECR and one empty rake were also damaged by the protesters in Kulharia of the same zone. A coach of a train was also damaged in the washing line in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia. So far 64 trains have been short terminated in ECR. There was no protest on the tracks since 5 pm, he said.
Southern Railway said in a statement that due to widespread agitation and arson over the Agneepath scheme, all trains bound for Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh from its jurisdiction will be cancelled.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav urged the youth not to destroy railway property. “I appeal to the youth not to indulge in violent protests and not to damage railway property.”
The worst-hit East Central Railway – covering parts of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh that has seen widespread protests – has decided to “monitor” the operation of some trains because of the agitation.
Officials said that they are monitoring the movement of the train and will take a decision on their operation as soon as the situation develops.
The trains being monitored are:
12303 Howrah-New Delhi Poorva Express
12353 HOWRAH-LALKUAN EXPRESS
18622 Ranchi-Patna Patliputra Express
18182 Danapur-Tata Express
22387 HOWRAH-DHANBAD BLACK DIAMOND EXPRESS
13512 Asansol-Tata Express
13032 Jaynagar-Howrah Express
13409 Malda Town-Kiul Express
Officials said that 12335 Malda Town-Lokmanya Tilak (T) Express and Howrah-New Delhi Duronto Express have been canceled under ECR.
The railways said that several trains run by the Northeast Frontier Railway pass through ECR jurisdiction and three of them have come under widespread protests.
13 trains have been canceled in the country’s largest railway zone, Northern Railway zone.
This includes:
15624 Kamakhya-Bhagat Ki Kothi Express
15623 Bhagat Ki Kothi Kamakhya Express
12565 Darbhanga-New Delhi Bihar Sampark Kranti Express
15273 Raxual-Anand Vihar Terminal Satyagrah Express
02563 Saharsa-New Delhi train
12273 Howrah-New Delhi Duronto Express
12435 Jaynagar-Anand Vihar Terminal Garib Rath Express
One person was killed in police firing in Secunderabad, the first casualty of protests against the Agneepath defense recruitment scheme, which broke out in several states for the third day on Friday, with trains torched, public property vandalized and Many thousands of tracks and highways were blocked.
Railway officials said that it is difficult to assess the damage to immovable properties at present.
Read also: Agneepath Scheme: Age limit raised from 21 to 23 amid protests across the country