Farmers Movement Archive

‘Rail roko’ agitation of farmers evokes mixed response in stat

PATNA: The ‘rail roko’ agitation by farmer groups had negligible impact on train services in the state on Thursday. However, farmers squatted on railway tracks at some places. The agitation was limited to two hours in the state instead of four hours as the farmer bodies avoided causing inconvenience to Matric examinees. Apart from farmers, opposition parties, including Jan Adhikar Party (JAP)-Loktantrik and CPI (ML), also participated in the agitation at some places. Barring symbolic squatting on railway track and stopping of the Jansewa Express train near Akbarnagar railway station by the JAP-L activists, train movement remained largely uninterrupted in Bhagalpur. The railway police, GRP and district police persuaded the JAP activists to keep away from the tracks and eventually restored the normal movement of trains. In Purnia, at least 30 JAP members squatted on rail tracks and blocked the Janaki Express for about half-an-hour. Ashok Kumar Yadav, spokesperson of the JAP, said, “We have been protesting not only against the three black farm laws, but also the rising fuel prices. The skyrocketing prices of essential items have taken us to economic subjugation.” In Nalanda, farmer unions backed by left parties, RJD and JAP-L, symbolically blocked movement of Gaya-Kiul memo train in Sheikhpura for some time and their leaders courted arrest at Biharsharif railway station. In Biharsharif, the farmers under the banner of Kisan Sangharsh Samiti courted arrest under the leadership of Pal Bihari Lal, who has been leading relay dharna of various farmer unions at Biharsharif Hospital Mor for the last 44 days. In Bhojpur, the CPI(ML) and Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Mahasabha leaders stopped the Patna-Bhabua Intercity Express for a few minutes at Ara station. Station manager of Ara B K Pandey said Patna-Bhabua Intercity Express was delayed by five minutes due to the agitation. At least 13 people were detained and later released after being fined Rs 1,100 each. (With inputs from Kumar Rajesh in Bhagalpur, Sanjeev Mishra in Purnia, Farrukh Nadim in Biharsharif and Praveen in Ara)

The Times of India

2021-02-19

Patna