Rail roko bid foiled at Kalwa station in Thane

THANE: The railway administration managed to foil attempts by the NCP Thane unit MLA to stage a rail roko at Kalwa station adjoining Thane during the peak Tuesday morning hours. The protestors led by MLA JItendra Awhad however managed to sneak onto the tracks and hold up a CST bound local albeit for just two minutes before being escorted away from the tracks by the police.

The local NCP unit had given a call for the agitation at Kalwa station on Tuesday to condemn the casual approach shown by the railway authorities towards safety of suburban commuters in the wake of the on Elphinstone Road station stampede last Friday that left 23 passengers dead.

A huge posse of security personnel from the railway protection force, state and railway police were deployed at the station to keep the protestors at bay. Nonetheless, few key party members led by Awhad held up a 9.22 am CST local at the station, informed a senior Central Railway official. The train was held up for a few minutes, before the police dispersed the protesters off the railway tracks.

Senior railway officials confirmed there was no major impact on the train schedule due to the protest.