RailEnquiry

KOLKATA/HOWRAH: Train services, both long-distance and suburban, were severely affected for more than two-and-a-half hours in the Howrah section on Monday evening after locals from around the Tikiapara yard encroached upon the tracks and started pelting stones at the trains to protest a woman getting run over by a suburban train. The violence continued until a lathi-charge dispersed the mob. All trains to and from Howrah remained cancelled till half an hour after that, inconveniencing thousands of commuters. According to witnesses, the violence erupted around 7pm, after a woman attempting to cross the tracks was run over by a Howrah-bound Sheoraphuli local. The first train to be attacked was the Up Amritsar Mail that started from Howrah. Around 7.20pm, hooligans pelted it with stones, smashing several windowpanes. The Howrah-bound Mumbai Duronto Express met with the same fate. A stone smashed the windscreen of the locomotive and injured the driver. The mob also smashed the windowpanes and decamped with some passengers' luggage. The driver of the empty rake of the Yeshw-antpur Express that was being brought to Howrah station was also injured.

With the Government Railway Police allegedly not taking adequate measures to control the mob, ER general manager %G C Agarwal got in touch with state home secretary Basudeb Banerjee, seeking assistance.

Both ER and SER decided to stop running all trains to and from Howrah station till the situation improved. Several trains were detained outside the station because of the violence.

Passengers had a harrowing time. "My brother Rajesh Himani was travelling in the A3 coach of the Mumbai Duronto Express. He was sitting near the window with his luggage as the train was approaching Howrah station. The stone-pelting started suddenly. Somebody smashed the windowpane and made away with his luggage. All passengers were terrorized," said Atul Himani, who lodged a complaint with the Howrah Government Railway Police.

ER officials complained that though the GRP were informed, there was no effort to control the mob and all train services had to be stopped after 7.50 pm.

Milan Kanta Das, the superintendent of railway police, Howrah, said that whatever force he had at his disposal was sent to the spot. "We received a complaint from the railways at 7.50pm. We sent a force but the situation was not conducive for a lathi-charge. Why didn't the RPF take action?"he asked.

Finally, after 9.30 pm, a combined RPF, GRP and Howrah police contingent carried out a lathi-charge to disperse the mob. Train services were suspended till well after 10pm, though. It turned out to be a long wait for passengers at Howrah station, with the authorities unable to provide any information about when the trains would finally leave.