Naveen relieved as train hijack drama comes to an end

BHUBANESWAR: Orissa on Tuesday got a rude shock and disbelief for about six hours soon after the left ultras hijacked Bhubaneswar- New Delhi Rajdhani Express train near Jhargram in West Bengal demanding release of their leader Chakradhar Mahato.

Chief minister, Naveen Patnaik said soon after the security forces took hold of the train, ���I feel relieved because the passengers are more or less safe. It is a unforgivable crime and should be condemned by one and all���,

The super-fast train left Bhubaneswar at 9.25 AM with 475 passengers and was ���taken over��� by the ultras at Sarodia near Jhargram at 2.24 pm after crossing Kharagpur.

Soon after the news of the hijack broke around 3 pm, panic stricken relatives of the passengers started making calls the railway authorities to know fate of their near and dear ones.

Mr Patnaik was closeted at an emergency meeting of high level officials for about four hours to ���monitor the situation minute by minute���. In an unprecedented move, he also allowed the media persons into the meeting to update themselves about the situation.

Mr Patnaik said he the state government was in touch with the prime minister Manmohan Singh, Union home minister P.Chidambaram, Railway minister Mamata Banerjee and West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjya to ensure safety of the passengers and their early release.

���I was personally in touch with these leaders to show the concern of the people of Orissa for the safety of the passengers and urged them to take appropriate steps to secure their release. I also asked for suitable arrangement to reach the passengers to their respective destinations���, Mr Patnaik told reporters after winding up the meeting at 7.25 pm.

This newspaper contacted several passengers aboard the train.

According to eyewitness accounts and some passengers contacted, the train came to a sudden halt in a forested area and suspected Naxalites armed with traditional weapons surrounded the train and took over the coaches one after another. Several of them were also seen breaking the glass windows to enter into the coaches, when the passengers refused to open the doors.

Later the intruders asked all the passengers to get down the train and sit on the ground. They assured all the passengers that nobody would be harmed. Later all the passengers were asked to get into their respective coaches and lock the doors inside and not to venture outside.


Another passenger, Biswaranjan Mohanty said that at least two person were injured in his coach- B1- when the ultras pelted stones at their bogey.

���We felt relieved after seeing the CRPF jawans. But we are not yet sure when we will resume our journey���, he said before his mobile link snapped.