Agnipath protests: Mobs set 10 trains ablaze, target top BJP leaders

After the day-long violence on Friday, mobile internet services were suspended till June 19 in Ara, Kaimur, Buxar, Saran, Nawada, Samastipur, Aurangabad, Lakhisarai, Vaishali and West Champaran, according to state’s home department.

Widespread violence and arson marked the third consecutive day of protests in Bihar against the newly introduced Agnipath, the short-term recruitment policy for entry into the armed forces, during which protesters set ablaze at least 10 trains, vandalised railway stations and torched scores of vehicles, shot at a police constable and attacked the houses of two senior leaders of the BJP, one of them a deputy chief minister and the other president of the party’s state unit, police and officials said.

Protesters set ablaze Farakka Express at Danapur railway station in Patna on Friday. (Santosh Kumar/HT)

After the day-long violence on Friday, mobile internet services were suspended till June 19 in Ara, Kaimur, Buxar, Saran, Nawada, Samastipur, Aurangabad, Lakhisarai, Vaishali and West Champaran, according to state’s home department.

An unidentified passenger, who was travelling in Janseva Express, died during treatment after inhaling smoke emanating from burning bogies at Lakhisarai station.

In Bettiah, the agitators attacked houses of deputy CM and BJP leader Renu Devi and West Champaran MP and party’s state unit president Dr Sanjay Jaiswal. Following reports of attacks on BJP offices in parts of Bihar, security was beefed up at its state headquarters in Patna.

Speaking to reporters, Jaiswal, who was inside his Bettiah house when the rioting mob descended there and attacked the property, blamed the administration. “As a part of a deep-rooted conspiracy, the attackers made a bid to blow up my house and set it on fire, using inflammatory substances, a gas cylinder and petrol bombs. No effective steps were taken. Had the police been strict, my house would not have been attacked. Faces of attackers have been captured in CCTV cameras installed in our house,” he said.

Renu Devi described the attackers as “goons” of opposition parties. “They aren’t the students. They are the goons of opposition parties,” she said.

Vehicle of Binay Bihari, BJP MLA from Lauriya in West Champaran, was also attacked, but Bihari himself escaped unhurt.

According to police, over 150 vehicles, several of them belonging to police, were damaged and 70 vehicles set alight at Danapur, Paliganj (both in Patna), Nardiganj in Nawada and Daudnagar in Aurangabad.

Like the previous day, railway properties bore the brunt of attacks. Railways had to cancel 164 trains, including Rajdhani Express.

Police had to open fire at several places and use tear gas shells to control the situation, said an officer, who conceded that the police strength was no match against the strong mob of protesters at many places.

According to Birendra Kumar, chief public relations officer (CPRO) of East Central railway, commuters had a harrowing time due to cancellation of long-distance trains, short termination of 64 others, and because of over 85 trains being stranded at 35 locations since 5 am on Friday.

Rail traffic was thrown completely out of gear on the Howrah-Patna-New Delhi sections, Barauni-Samastipur-Darbhanga section and Patna-Rajgir sections as protesters squatted on railway track.

At Danapur in Patna, agitators torched four bogies of Farakka Express, two empty bogies in the yard and 10 vehicles parked outside the station. They also attacked a police team, ransacked the station premises and set ablaze two rail engines.

Patna district magistrate Dr Chandrasekhar Singh, who rushed to the spot to control the situation, told HT that around 45 people have been arrested and CCTV footages were being examined to identify and apprehend others.

Reports from Fatuha (outskirts of Patna) said two bogies of a passenger train were set ablaze while three bogies of Islampur-Hatia Express were set on fire at Islampur railway station in Nalanda. A goods train was set on fire at Chainpur in Chapra while one bogie of Rajgir-Danapur Intercity Express was set ablaze at Bakhtiyarpur. An empty rack parked in Gaya yard was also torched.

In Samastipur district, protesters torched four bogies of Jammu Tawi-Guwahati Lohit Express at Mohiddinagar and ransacked station premises. They also set on fire three bogies of Darbhanga-New Delhi Sampark Kranti Express near Dharmpur, the outer signal of Samastipur station, and attacked the house of a local BJP leader, besides torching Muffasil police station.

In Lakhisarai, angry protesters torched eight bogies of New Delhi-Bhagalpur Vikramshila Express and four bogies of Janseva Express.

In Supaul district, agitators set ablaze two bogies of Saharsa-Darbhanga passenger train.

In Ara, four bogies of Ara-Sasaram passenger train was set on fire. Protesters also ransacked Bihiya railway station and set afire the booking counter. A signal system at Sasaram also came under attack.

In Sasaram, miscreants attacked and set ablaze a toll plaza on a national highway, vandalised BJP district office and buses and vehicles.

According to divisional railway manager (DRM) of Danapur, Prabhat Kumar, at least 50 coaches and seven locomotive engines were damaged in the violence on Friday and the railways had incurred a loss of ₹90 crore for burnt coaches, ₹61 crore for locomotive engines and ₹12 crore due to damage to other assets.

“This does not include loss of revenue due to train cancellations and refunds,” he said.

“Some anti-social elements have also joined the protests, leading to violence. I appeal to all not to take the law into their hands,” said additional director general (ADG) of police (law and order) Sanjay Singh.

(With inputs from Prasun K Mishra, Sandeep Bhaskar and Prashant Ranjan)