Protest on rly tracks disrupts traffic

Patna: Several trains were canceled or made to run on alternative routes here on Monday on account of a protest demonstration that saw thousands of people squatting on the railway tracks.

According to the East Central Railway and the district administration, traffic was restored well past 10 pm after remaining disrupted for several hours.

Police got the tracks cleared and arrested at least four persons.

”The protesters had gathered at the Rajendra Nagar Terminus in the afternoon. They were alleging discrepancies in the result of an exam conducted by Railway Recruitment Board, which was announced recently,” the district administration said in a release.

It said ”mild” use of force was resorted to after attempts by officials, led by Patna district magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh and SSP Manavjeet Singh Dhillon to pacify the agitators yielded no results.

”An FIR has been registered in this connection. It is suspected that the protesters might have been instigated by those running coaching institutes for competitive exams. All those found complicit will face action”, said the release.

ECR chief public relations officer Rajesh Kumar said five trains originating from the station had to be canceled for the day because of the squatting on the tracks.

These included the New Delhi-bound Tejas Rajdhani, Sampoorn Kranti Express, and Mumbai-bound Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express.

Five other trains which pass through the station had to be diverted, he said.

”Traffic was restored at 10.24 pm when the New Delhi-bound Poorva Express from Howrah departed from Rajendra Nagar” Kumar added.