About 13 passenger trains to north India from Western region have been cancelled due to the Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan, Western railway authorities said on Wednesday. Ferozpur Janata Express from Mumbai Central to Ferozpur (9023), August Kranti Rajdhani Express from Mumbai Central to Hazrat Nizamuddin (2959), Bandra Terminus- Gorakhpur-Avadh Express (9037), Bandra Terminus- Dehradun Express (9019), Sampark Kranti Express (2907) and Jammu Tawi Holiday Special from Bandra have been cancelled, they said.
The other trains cancelled include Indore-Nizamuddin Inter City Express, Ahmedabad-Jodhpur Passenger, Ahmedabad- Patna Express, Ahmedabad-New Delhi Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani Express, Ahmedabad-Nizamuddin Express, Bhuj Bareli Express and Ahmedabad-Gorakhpur Holiday Special.
Besides, four trains have also been diverted including Mumbai Central-New Delhi Rajdhani Express (2951), Hapa-Jammu Tawi (2475), Bandra-Amritsar Pashchim Express (2925), Mumbai Central-Amritsar Golden Temple Express (2903).
The trains have been cancelled in the interest of passengers’ safety since the protesters are targeting railway properties, said officials.
Gujjars block rail track, highway
Gujjar protesters on Wednesday held sway blocking a key rail track in Dausa district leaving several trains suspended and disrupting traffic on a highway linking Rajasthan with Madhya Pradesh as security forces kept a close watch in the violence-hit areas.
Scores of women protesters put up wooden logs on the Jaipur-Delhi rail track at Shyamlawas, 3 kms from Bandikui railway station in Dausa, blocking train traffic for the third day to press the Gujjars’ demand for ST status, Dausa collector Rajesh Yadav said.
Twelve women protesters, who tried to shut down a market in Bandikui, were arrested on Tuesday and later released on bail, Yadav said.
In the stir-hit Sawai Madhopur district, hundreds of agitators held a sit in on the highway linking the area with Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, district collector Debashish Prutsy said. Traffic on the crucial highway has been thrown out of gear.
Contingents of security forces including columns from the Army maintained a close vigil on the protesters in Dausa, Bharatpur and Sawai Madhopur districts, reports reaching here said.
With post-mortems being conducted on the bodies of Gujjars killed in police firing and clashes, the process of cremating them was on in various areas of the state, they said.