CPI's 'rail roko' affects train movement in Orissa

Bhubaneswar, Sep 17 (UNI) The CPI-sponsored 'rail roko' to protest the alleged assault of party leaders by Railway Special Protection Force (RSPF) personnel at Bhubaneswar railway station affected movement of trains in Orissa today.

The bandh was called demanding dismissal of the RSPF jawans and the TTE involved in allegedly assaulting CPI state Secretary Dibakar Nayak and his party colleagues during an altercation on his arrival from Bolangir in Inter City Express on Saturday.

Railway sources here said the movement of trains was affected from 0630 hrs to 1300 hrs as the CPI activists sat on the railway track at Sambalpur, Rengali, Baragarha, Rambha, Berhampur, Rourkela and Bhubaneswar.

Due to the agitation, the Puri New Delhi Neelachal Express, Guwahati-Bangalore Express, Sambalpur-Puri Intercity Express Jodhpur-Puri Express, Falknama Express and Kharagpur-Puri passenger were detained at Bhubaneswar, while Visakha Express at Berhampur, Rourkela-Puri passenger at Rengali, Titlagarh-Jharsuguda passenger at Baragarha were halted for around an hour.

CPI State Secretary Dibakar Nayak claimed that more than 100 party activists were arrested by police from different places.

He alleged that though they had identified the RSPF jawans and the TTE during a test identification parade, no action was taken against the guilty by the authority.

The RSPF personnel on the basis of a complaint lodged by the TTE soon arrived at the spot and started assaulting Mr Nayak and his other party workers.

This led to chaos at the station and the party workers squatted on the track disrupting the movement of the trains for two hours.

They later withdrew the agitation after the city police arrived and conducted the TI parade to identify the jawans involved in the incident.

Mr Nayak said a two-member delegation of the party, comprising Party General Secretary D K Panda and party leader N K Pradhan, today sumitted a memorandum to Railway Minister Lalu Prasad through the Bhubaneswar Station Manager, demanding dismissal of the railway personnel involved in the assault and withdrawal of the RPSF forces from Bhubaneswar.

Mr Nayak also claimed that the Divisional Commercial Manager, Khurda, had assured to constitute a high - level committee to inquire into the incident.

UNI