Trains burnt by Bihar mobs

Several coaches of three trains were burnt down and the safety of rail passengers severely threatened in Bihar on Monday as angry mobs led violent attacks on railway property at two stations in protest against a decision by railway officials to withdraw some halts from the route of a number of trains. These halts were reportedly ordered during the tenure of Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav as railway minister.

Angry villagers set ablaze coaches of three trains at two railway stations near Patna, the state capital, and also uprooted tracks at a number of places. At least 30 people were injured, but none of them were train passengers. The railway police and security forces tried to prevent the vandalism, which disrupted rail traffic throughout the region for hours by halting at least 10 trains.

The immediate provocation which led to the mob fury was an announcement by the East Central Railway in some newspapers that several express trains, including the Rajgir-New Delhi Shramajeevi Express and the Kosi Express, would no longer halt at Khusropur station and some other places.

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Wife, kids have Rs 1.6 crore, Lalu has Maruti 800

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, a regional heavyweight with a major influence on national politics, has the lowest assets among the top three contenders for the prestigious Saran Lok Sabha seat in Bihar.

A politician who unrelentingly boasts of being a poor cowherd’s son, Mr Yadav has movable assets worth only Rs 12 lakh, including a Maruti 800 car purchased in 1991 and a military jeep, he said in an affidavit while filing his nomination papers on Saturday. The current market prices of the car and the jeep are shown as Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively in the affidavit.

Mr Yadav faces the BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy and the BSP’s Saleem Parvez in the electoral arena in Saran. Both Mr Rudy and Mr Parvez, according to their affidavits, are wealthier than Mr Yadav.

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Lalu warns Mumbai: Stop, or I’ll halt trains

In a veiled threat to the Maharashtra government over continuing violence against North Indians in Mumbai, railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday virtually “threatened” to seriously consider stopping train services in parts of the state.

“The railways are a soft target for any kind of protesters as it easy to attack our property. It is the responsibility of the state government to protect rail assets. We will seriously consider blocking services to violence-affected parts of Maharashtra if the violence continues,” he said.

Railway ministry sources said train services were halted in parts of Bihar too following widespread attacks on railway property recently, but political watchers said Mr Yadav’s remarks were a “clear warning” to Maharashtra.

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Patil tired of dressing down

Speculation over the continuance in office of beleaguered Union home minister Shivraj Patil is gaining ground in political circles with the Congress leadership assessing whether a change is required at this juncture. Sources said this was because competence was not the only criteria for the post and that the “confidence” of the leadership was equally important.

A special meeting of the Union Cabinet has been called on Wednesday to discuss the terror attacks.

“There is no forward movement on this issue (continuance of Mr Patil in his post) at this juncture,” well placed sources said here on Tuesday, adding that “he may go or may not go”. The leadership does not want to take a decision under pressure either from the BJP or from RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav.

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