+
 
For the best experience, open
m.thewire.in
on your mobile browser or Download our App.
You are reading an older article which was published on
Oct 18, 2021

Farmers' 'Rail Roko' Protest Affects 160 Trains at 184 locations

The protest was called by farmers demanding the dismissal and arrest of Union minister Ajay Mishra in connection with the Lakhimpur-Kheri incident.
Rail roko protest at Amritsar Railway Station. Photo: Twitter@Kisanektamorcha

New Delhi: Nearly 160 trains have been affected at 184 locations due to the six-hour ‘rail roko’ protest called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s (SKM) over the Lakhimpur-Kheri incident.

According to India Today, 63 trains have been stopped before the destination, 43 trains cancelled and one train has been diverted due to the protest.

The protest also hindered the schedule of 50 trains, Railways’ chief public relation officer told PTI.

 

The trains that have been affected in the Northern Railway zone include the Chandigarh-Ferozepur Express. Its scheduled departure from Ludhiana was 7 am, but has been stranded there due to a blockade in the Ferozpur-Ludhiana section, the official told the news agency.

The New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi Express was halted near Shambu station as protesters blocked railway tracks near Sahnewal and Rajpura.

In Rajasthan, the agitation affected train movement in Hanumangarh and Sriganganagar of the Bikaner division.

An Northern Western Railway spokesperson said rail traffic on Bhiwani-Rewari, Sirsa-Rewari, Loharu-Hisar, Suratgarh-Bathinda, Sirsa-Bathinda, Hanumangarh-Bathinda, Rohtak-Bhiwani, Rewari-Sadulpur, Hisar-Bathinda, Hanumangarh-Sadulpur and Sri Ganganagar-Rewari sections was affected due to the agitation.

Also read: The Lakhimpur Kheri Incident Didn’t Occur by Chance, It Was a Long Time Coming

The Bathinda-Rewari Special train and the Sirsa-Ludhiana Special train will remain cancelled on Monday, he said, adding the route of Ahmedabad-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Special train has also been changed.

The train which departed from Ahmedabad on Saturday will run on the changed route via Rewari-Delhi-Pathankot to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, he said.

The SKM, an umbrella body of farmer unions that is spearheading the agitation against the Union government’s three agricultural laws, had said “protests will be intensified until justice is secured” in the Lakhimpur Kheri case.

The SKM had said that all train traffic would be stopped from 10 am till 4 pm on Monday during the ‘rail roko’ protest over the demand of the dismissal and arrest of Union minister Ajay Mishra in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri case.

Four farmers were killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3 after they were mown down by a vehicle, allegedly driven by Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra. Four other people were killed, including two Bharatiya Janata Party workers, a journalist and Ajay Mishra’s driver.

A first information report against Ashish Mishra alleged that he was in one of the vehicles, an allegation denied by him and Ajay Mishra.

Ashish Mishra was arrested in the case on October 9, a week after the incident.

(With inputs from PTI)

Make a contribution to Independent Journalism
facebook twitter