Rail blockade against NRC draft affects train services

Kolkata: Train services in Eastern Railway’s Sealdah division was today affected due to a rail blockade at many stations by the All India Matua Mahasangha, protesting the exclusion of 40 lakh people from Assam’s complete draft of National Register of Citizens (NRC). 

Claiming that the NRC draft would leave many homeless, members of Matua Mahasangha, a religious reformation organisation mainly representing the backward classes, blocked the railway tracks at many stations. 

The railway tracks were blocked at 27 stations, including Dum Dum, New Barrackpore, Sandalia, Belghoria, Kanchrapara and Naihati, ER spokesperson R N Mahapatra said. Thousands of passengers were inconvenienced owing to the blockade during morning rush hours and many could not reach their work place or educational institutions. 

Mahapatra said 51 EMU locals were cancelled and several others were detained enroute owing to the blockade at many stations in Sealdah-Ranaghat main line, Sealdah-Bangaon, Sealdah-Dankuni and Barasat-Hansnabad sections.

The blockade which continued from around 8 am to 9 am at different stations was lifted totally at 12.10 pm, he said. Normal train services resumed following lifting of the blockade at all stations, the spokesperson added.