Protesters take over railway tracks at Patli station; impact minimal, say police

The police had deployed around 150 personnel in the area to ensure that no damage is caused to the government property and no violence took place.

Updated on: Feb 19, 2021, 17:41:16 IST

By Leena Dhankhar, Gurugram

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Farmers protesting against the three central farm laws held a four-hour rail roko agitation on Thursday from noon to 4pm at Patli in Farrukhnagar, to pressurise the central government to repeal the laws.

More than 100 protesters, including women, sat on the railway tracks and raised slogans against the government and the farm laws. (ANI)

More than 100 protesters, including women, sat on the railway tracks and raised slogans against the government and the farm laws. Women recited poems for an hour to engage the gathering. A passenger train that was scheduled on the route, from Delhi to Rewari, on Thursday afternoon was also cancelled, said officials.

The police had deployed around 150 personnel in the area to ensure that no damage is caused to the government property and no violence took place.

Members of Gurugram Samyukta Kisan Morcha (GSKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions that is spearheading the protests, had blocked the railway tracks at Patli station. “We had reached the railway station by 11.30am, but the police did not let us enter the main tracks, following which three trains crossed the tracks. We managed to block the lines by 3.30pm and no trains crossed the stretch,” said Abhay Poonia, one of the members of GSKM.

Another protester, Santok Singh, of Jharsa, said that they had blocked the yard of an inland container depot company in Patli. “We did not let the goods train carrying containers pass the stretch in the four hours and three of the trains were parked until 4pm. We did a silent protest and did not damage any of the property and cleaned the area before leaving at 4pm,” he said.

The police, however, maintained that there was hardly any impact on railway services due to the protest.

Hitesh Yadav, the assistant commissioner of police (Manesar), said that the agitation passed off without any untoward incident. Except for one goods train, all other trains crossed the stretch as per the schedule, said Yadav.

“We had deployed 150 police personnel at the protest site and it was peaceful. No trains crossed between 12.30pm and 4pm and the train operations were smooth throughout the day. There is hardly any train stoppage on this station except for goods and passenger trains which are connected from Rewari and Delhi,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More