Agnipath protests: Hut burnt, furniture vandalised at Ludhiana railway station, six detained
A mob comprising around 70-80 youngsters damaged mirrors at the entrance of Ludhiana station, burnt a hut and dumped furniture on railway tracks; they also pelted stones at security forces
Protesting against the Centre’s contentious Agnipath recruitment scheme, a mob set fire to a hut and vandalised furniture at the Ludhiana railway station on Saturday. Six rioters have been detained.
Officials say that around 11am, a mob comprising around 70-80 youngsters damaged mirrors at the entrance of Ludhiana station near platform 1, burnt a hut and dumped furniture on railway tracks.
Four trains were immediately halted outside the Ludhiana railway station, including New Delhi Shatabdi, Shan-e-Punjab, Nangal Dam Express and Pathankot-Delhi Express.
The vandalism took place despite the presence of Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel at the entrance of the station. Some protesters also pelted stones at the security staff and also had an altercation with the railways staff.
The vehicle of a protester was impounded, while the owner managed to flee.
‘Protesters entered posing as passengers’
GRP deputy superintendent of police Balram Rana said the protesters had entered the stadium, posing as passengers, and had eventually assembled at the station entrance. “Due to the alertness of security personnel,nobody was hurt,” he added.
An official, requesting anonymity, said, “The protesters had arrived from across Punjab. It was an intelligence failure as 80 people managed to assemble at the railway station.”
Meanwhile, panic gripped passengers at the station. Cops were seen pulling passengers out of harm’s way and taking them to safer points.
Security beefed up
Security was beefed up in and around the station immediately after the attack. Senior police personnel, including Ludhiana commissioner of police Kaustubh Sharma also reached the railway station, immediately after the incident.
“We have beefed up the security at the railway station and around the city. Railway Police along with other security agencies have been deployed to avoid untoward incidents,” the police chief said.
Anti-sabotage squads, bomb squads, GRP and RPF personnel, dog squads, bomb squads, and forces from the police commissionerate have been deployed at the station.