Kolkata/Berhampore: The raging flames of violent protests against the National Register of Citizens and Citizenship (Amendment) Act spread from Assam to West Bengal on Friday as demonstrators attacked the crowded Coromandal Express and began arson and looting at railway property in two districts. The day also saw an elderly man’s death in a district at the India-Bangladesh border and an attack on a senior BJP leader.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, who announced a Trinamul rally against the NRC and Citizenship Act on Sunday, has appealed to people to maintain peace.
At around 3.22 pm, a mob of 250 people came on railway tracks of both Up and Down lines and started pelting on the Chennai-bound Coromandal Express bringing it to a grinding halt at Uluberia in Howrah-Kharagpur section of the South Eastern Railway after its departure from Howrah station at 2.50pm. The train driver and a railway staff were injured.
Panicked by the sudden attack, the passengers closed the windows and doors of the coaches. The attackers then went on rampage at the Uluberia station and a railway cabin hurling bricks on them. SER spokesperson Sanjoy Ghosh said, “A massive damage has been caused in the attack. Rs 4 lakh in cash, eight computers and unreserved tickets were taken away from the booking office at the station which is totally dark now.”
Six trains: Howrah-Digha Kandari Express, Shalimar-LTT Kurla Express, Hyderabad-Howrah East Coast Express, Yesvantpur- Howrah Duronto Express, Shalimar-Adra Rajya Rani Express and Jabalpur-Santragachi Humsafar Express were halted midway and 11 EMU local and passenger trains have been detained and controlled at various stations due to the violent attack.
In Murshidabad, protesters set some parts of the railway tracks on fire and damaged the signals at Beldanga railway station and vandalised the Beldanga police station and the Block Development Office at around 3.25 pm.
Rejinagar, Murshidabad and Jangipur stations in the district, Krishnanagar in Nadia and Baruipur in South 24 Parganas also witnessed agitations and obstructions, the Eastern Railway said.
