JDP bandh hammers train services in West Bengal

KOLKATA: As if the usual quota of bandhs and disruptions were not enough for residents of West Bengal. On Monday morning, train services on the Howrah-Burdwan chord line, Bandel-Burdwan mainline and the Seoraphulli-Tarkeswar sections under Howrah division of Eastern Railway were paralysed since 5:55 am due to blockades and obstruction by Jharkhand Disom Party activists.

The Jharkhand Disham Party (JDP) had called a 12 hour bandh on July 27 to express solidarity with the tribal agitation in Lalgarh, the subsequent joint police paramilitary action there and to protest against attacks on their activists by the CPIM.

The JDP also blocked the Durgapur Expressway for about half an hour, throwing traffic completely off gear.
But trian services bore the brunt of the agitators' ire. While the Shantiniketan Express detained between Howrah and Bolpur was cancelled, 24 EMU loca trains were cancelled in the Howrah division.

Long distance trains that were detained included Uttarbanga Express at Shaktigarh and Shipra Express at Gangpur, the Black Diamond Express at Bandel, Varnasi-Sealdah express at Bolpur, Poorva Express and Toofan Express at Howrah, New Delhi-Sealdah Rajdhani Express at Asansol, Amritsar-Howrah Mail at Mankar, Allahabad-Howrah Vibhuti Express at Sitarampur and Kanchenjungha Express at Naihati.

On the Howrah Burdwan chord line, JDP activists stopped trains at Gurap, Sibaichandi Halt, Jaugram, Palla Road, Belmuri between 5:55 am and 1 pm. Normal train services on this section resumed only at 1:10 pm. On the Bandel-Bardhman mainline, at Debipur and Rasulpur between 6:45 am and 10:50 am after which train services resumed. In the Seoraphulli-Tarkeswar section, obstructions were put up at Loknath and Haripal.

When contacted, JDP Hooghly district president Lakshmikanta Hansda said on Monday that the CPIM had attacked their men at Dashghara under Dhaniakhali PS and ransacked their party office.

"The CPIM cadres have been attacking our supporters in many parts of Hooghly district where our organisation has gained people's support. We also condemn the joint operation at Lalgarh against the tribal population. We will go for larger agitation if the state administration does not consider our demands of initiating measures against CPIM cadres who had attacked our men," Hansda mentioned.

Speaking to the ET, JDP president Salkhan Murmu said: "Our West Bengal unit observed the token bandh in five districts- Purulia, Midnapore, Bankura, Burdwan and Hooghly, where it was a good success."