Rail blockade lifted after 5 hours

Lucknow, Oct 13 (UNI) Train services on the busy Kanpur-Lucknow rail route were disrupted for more than five hours today after a mob allegedly ransacked Harauni railway station when a speeding train crushed three youths to death.

Train services on the route were paralysed since 0800 hours with several long distance trains including Lucknow-bound Shatabadi Express, Puskpak Express and Chitrakoot Express stranded at different stations.

More than 40,000 daily passengers commuting between Kanpur and Lucknow also faced problems due to the agitation.

Local Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) MLA Mohammad Irshad Khan led the protestors in squatting on the railway tracks, demanding compensation for the family of the deceased and action against the guilty railway officials.

The agitation was lifted after the district authorities announced compensation of Rs 1.20 lakh each to the family members of three deceased. The kin would also be given houses under the Indira Awas scheme and one bigha of land each.

Sources at the DGP office here said two people died on the spot near Harauni station, 25 km from the state capital, while another succumbed to injuries on way to the hospital. All the deceased belonged to the Tirma village near the accident site. The two deceased who died on the spot were identified as Veerpal and Sanjay.

All the three deceased were runover by the speeding 1123 UP Chapra-Gawalior express train at around 0750 hours.

After the incident, an irate mob damaged the Harauni station and damaged the communication system of the busy route.

According to reports, the mob also ransacked the station master's office and even manhandled the officer.

Large police contingent was rushed to the spot along with officials to presuade the agitationers to lift their dharna on the tracks along with the bodies.

(eds: pls Pick up suitably from earlier series) UNI MB NAB VD BST1410