E-Paper
Train traffic disrupted in Punjab due to protest
Protests were staged against the recent alleged burning of effigies of deities at Rampura Phul in Bathinda district.
Train traffic was disrupted for about three hours on Sunday in the state, as some activists blocked trains at several places to protest the recent alleged burning of effigies of deities of Lord Rama, Sita and Hanuman at Rampura Phul in Bathinda district.
ADRM of Railways Ambala division AK Gupta said that several trains, including New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi express, Dadar express, Dainik express and many passenger and goods trains were forced to halt by the protesters at different places in Punjab.
He said that the Shatabdi express was stopped at Sirhind, while Dadar express was blocked at Patiala and Dainik express was stopped at Malerkotla.
"Our activists squatted on tracks at Patiala, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ropar and Sirhind railway stations for about three hours," chief of Shiv Sena (Hindustan), an organisation active in around seven northern states, Pawan Gupta said.
Gupta said that the protest was peaceful.
The Shiv Sena (Hindustan) chief lashed out at Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for maintaining silence over the act of some anti-social elements who burnt effigies of deities on Dussehra day.
"Amarinder is maintaining a soft approach towards those who did this act," he alleged while questioining the "silence" of the chief minister on the issue.
The around three hour blockade by the protesters put to lot of inconvenience scores of passengers traveling by trains in the state, officials said.
