Farmers Movement Archive

In Noida, farmers say they halted Bihar-bound train; cops, railways differ

Noida: In Gautam Budh Nagar, while farmers claimed they stopped a Bihar-bound train at the Dankaur railway station in Greater Noida on Thursday, as part of the rail roko call by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the police and the railways, on the other hand, maintained that the train stopped due to technical reasons as the route ahead was blocked at some places. The Bihar Sampark Kranti Express stopped at 2:03pm and left Dankaur at 2:37pm, said railway officials.Sunil Pradhan, the Gautam Budh Nagar spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union’s (BKU) Tikait faction, said that farmers had already informed the police and the administration about the rail roko programme. “Around 200 farmers reached the Dankaur station around 12pm and made a sit-in protest outside the station. In the afternoon we stopped one train and garlanded the train’s driver. We distributed fruits, juice, banana, water bottles, etc., to passengers and informed them about farmers’ issues,” he said.Another farmer, Gajendra Nagar, a resident of Mahmoodpur village in Dankaur, said the protesters were disciplined. “Most farmers were outside the station. We had assigned only 20 persons to board the train and distribute food and eatables. We did not sit on the railway tracks or damage any property,” he said.He added that the farmers apologised to the passengers for the inconvenience due to the rail roko call. Pradhan said some passengers agreed with the farmers’ demands that the three farm laws should be repealed. The rail roko call remained peaceful and the farmers left the spot by 3pm.According to Sagar Baliyan, station master, Dankaur railway station, however, “The train was halted at Dankaur as the route ahead was not clear.” Noida police said they had deployed a number of personnel at the station to ensure law and order.Rajesh Kumar Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Greater Noida, concurred with the railways’ version: “Farmers in Greater Noida had not stopped the train. We received information that some farmers were sitting on the railway tracks in Khurja, Bulandshahr and the route was not clear. The trains following that route were stranded at different stations on the way. This Bihar-bound train had thus stopped at the Dankaur railway station by the time the farmers had reached there. They garlanded the train driver and distributed food and water to the passengers,” he said.Police said that the protest was peaceful, and no complaint was filed.

Hindustan Times

18-02-2021

Noida