E-Paper
Railways records loss of ₹90 cr in protests across North-east
New Delhi Indian Railways has incurred a loss of Rs 90 crore in the Northeast because of damage its trains and facilities suffered during violent protests against
New Delhi Indian Railways has incurred a loss of Rs 90 crore in the Northeast because of damage its trains and facilities suffered during violent protests against the passage of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, railway officials said.
The law, which seeks to give citizenship to members of religious minorities suffering persecution in three neighbouring, Muslim-majority countries – Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan -- has incited strife in the Northeast, where social groups have for long demanded safeguards to preserve the region’s distinct cultural identity. Many protestors have contended that a potential influx of refugees could dilute the region’s ethnic identity.
Angry mobs have vandalized trains and railway stations in the region in the aftermath of the passage of the Act. A railway station in Chabua town of Assam’s Dibrugarh district, the hometown of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, was set on fire by protesters on December 11. The Panitola railway station in Tinsukia district was also torched on the same day.
So far, about 40 major trains along the three divisions have been suspended.
Rail services have been completely suspended in Tinsukhia, Lumding and in the Rangiya division of the Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR). Beyond Guwahati, passenger train operations were terminated.
On the Eastern Railways, the national transporter has incurred losses worth Rs 72.19 crore due to property damage, Rs 12.75 crore along the South Eastern Railways and Rs 2.98 crore on the North Eastern Frontier Railways.
As many as 85 first information reports (FIRs) have been registered cases for destruction of property, trespassing and other criminal cases. Of these, 57 are under the Railway Protection Force (RPF).
“There are people who have been identified though the videos of the violence and we have registered FIRs against them. Around a dozen railway employees have been injured,” said Arun Kumar, the director general of the Railway Protection Force (RPF).
“Wherever property damage happens, we can register a case ourselves. In cases where our stations have been burned etc, we will investigate and file a chargesheet. The GRP {Government Railway Police} cases are registered for criminal cases under the Indian Penal Code. We have identified 29 crimes which we register ourselves including chain-pulling, trespassing of the premises and obstruction of railway operations, among others,” Kumar said.
Railway operations were the worst affected in West Bengal, he said.
“West Bengal has been the worst because Eastern Railways largely falls under the state. Things are calmer now, it got the most violent when the West Bengal chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) took out a rally {on what date}. There has been no violence after that. In Bengal, the maximum damage was reported in Howrah, Sealdah and Malda division and in South Eastern Railways, Kharagpur was badly affected,” Kumar said.
In view of the protests,the Railways has deployed an additional 2,200 men of its reserve forces along its North Eastern zones.
“We have put up additional forces now, we have mobilized forces from neighbouring East Central Railways in Bihar and UP side. In addition to our existing forces we have additional deployment of 22 extra companies of forces. We are also in touch with the state police there,” Kumar said.
