Police book farmers for blocking trains at 3 places

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 9

On complaints lodged by the railway authorities, cases have been registered against agitating farmers at three places for obstructing the movement of trains. On the third day of the “Rail roko” agitation today, the authorities cancelled or stopped more than 50 trains in the state.

The cases against farmers have been registered at Jalandhar Cantt, Nakodar and Ferozepur under Section 174 of the Railway Act, 1989. At Jalandhar Cantt, the case has been registered for blocking the rail track on the Phagwara rail track; in Ferozepur, for the blockade on the rail track at Khai-Phem-Ke; and in Nakodar, for the blockade of a track nearby.

Cases at the remaining places would be registered in due course, it is learnt. The Section 174 of the Act deals with obstruction of the track by squatting on it or resorting to picketing. There is a provision of punishment for two years or a fine up to Rs 2,000 under the Act.

The railway authorities said as many as 37 trains were cancelled in the Ferozepur division alone and more than 13 trains were cancelled in other parts of the state. In all, about 200 trains had been affected during the past 72 hours due to the farmers’ agitation. “The loss to the Railways is in crores of rupees. However, it is difficult to figure out the exact amount,” said a railway official.

Meanwhile, agitating farmers said they would not return to their homes until the issues raised by them were resolved by the government authorities concerned. A leader of Kirti Kisan Union, Hardev Singh Sandhu, said farmers were not holding talks with any government official as of now. “We have already made our position clear to the state government and there is no reason for going back from that position,” said Sandhu, adding that a meeting of the representatives of agitating farmer organisations would be held tomorrow to decide the next course of action. The agitation will continue till tomorrow but Sandhu indicated that it could be extended further.

Reacting to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal’s statement that farmers’ agitation was politically motivated, Sandhu said farmers’ organisations had been doing the “politics of the common man” and “not the one being done by Sukhbir Badal of protecting the interests of big corporates”.