The Railways reported that the ‘rail roko’ protest organised by agitated farmers seeking the removal and arrest of Union minister Ajay Mishra in connection with the violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri disrupted more than 130 places throughout northern India on Monday. According to a Northern Railway official, the blockades have impacted the timetables of 50 trains since the morning.
The Shatabdi Express to Katra and Amritsar and the Vande Bharat Express to Katra were among the trains impacted. According to a North Western Railway spokesperson, regions in the Bikaner division impacted include Bhiwadi, Bathinda, and Hanumangarh. A handful of trains were cancelled, and approximately a dozen short-terminated trains were redirected.
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The North Central Railway, located in Allahabad, claimed its train services had been unaffected thus far. Despite the inconveniences, the current scenario is a far cry from last year, when railway services to and from Punjab were halted for two months owing to the agitation, resulting in a historic catastrophe. On September 24, 2020, all railway services in Punjab were suspended.
By November 6, over 2,200 freight trains and over 1,300 passenger trains had been diverted or cancelled, resulting in a total loss of about Rs 1,300 crore for the Railways, according to the Railways. The broad-gauge line runs from Ambala into the heart of Punjab, passing through key cities like Ludhiana, Jalandhar, and Amritsar. This runs nearly parallel to the ancient Grand Trunk Road, mimicking a historical trade, men, and material movement pattern.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella group for farmers’ unions that has been leading the protest against agricultural regulations since last year, issued the rail roko appeal. The SKM warned in a statement that “protests would only become more intense till justice is served” in the Lakhimpur Kheri case. According to the SKM, all train travel will be halted for six hours on Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the ‘rail roko’ protest. Farmers sat on the railway tracks from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to SKM officials in Haryana, who stated the call for protest was received with a positive reaction across the state.
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Farmers obstructed Sonipat, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Hisar, Jind, Karnal, Kaithal, Bhiwani, Dadri, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Yamunanagar, and Rewari, according to BKU (Chaduni) spokesperson Rakesh Bains. Two trains were also forced to stop at Kurukshetra, according to Bains. The railway tracks were stopped at three locations in the Panipat district, according to another farmer leader. Railway tracks were stopped at five areas in Jind district, according to BKU leader Azad Palwa: Narwana, Uchana, Barsola, Julana, and Jind.”
