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.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.asianage.com