By IRNA,
New Delhi : Thousands of passengers are stranded at various railway stations in India’s Bihar state as trains have been cancelled due to the violent protests in the state, including the ransacking of two stations Thursday, against the attacks on north Indians by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena activists in Mumbai last Sunday.
According to reports received here, about 10,000 passengers have been stranded at Patna railway station since Tuesday. Hundreds of passengers were stranded at several railway stations including Sasaram, Danapur, Bhagalpur and Gaya.
The railways, which were the target of the protesters for the third consecutive day Thursday, cancelled all trains in the Patna-Danapur division till normalcy returns.
“The railways will not take the risk of running trains till proper safety of trains and its passengers is ensured by the state administration,” said A.K. Chandra, chief public relations officer of East Central Railway.
Chandra said that in last two days, the movement of 200 trains was affected due to widespread protests.
“Sixteen pairs of trains originating from Patna have been cancelled, while eight from Danapur were also cancelled,” said Chandra.
Over two dozen long distance trains passing through Patna for Kolkata and Guwahati were diverted due to violent protests, a railway official said.
The stranded passengers were facing a harrowing time in Patna.
Some of them had to join back work and some had to take examinations and job interviews. There were also those wanting to board trains to look for livelihood outside Bihar and some had to go for medical treatment in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and south India.
In fact, Patna railway station has become a temporary home for stranded passengers.
A mob of protesters torched a police vehicle in Motihari and ransacked the Motihari railway station Thursday morning.
“The protesters have virtually seized the railway station,” a police official said.
Similarly, angry students ransacked Lakhisarai railway station Thursday morning and forcibly stopped some trains.
According to an official at the police headquarters, early reports suggest that protests were continuing at various places.
Nalanda district is observing a total shutdown Thursday to protest the alleged killing of railway recruitment exam candidate Pawan Kumar in Mumbai by MNS activists.
The students were protesting the attacks by MNS activists on non Maharashtrian candidates, particularly from Bihar, who were in Mumbai Sunday to take a railway recruitment examination.