Around 7.30 am on Tuesday, a few dozen PMK cadre on their way to the city to participate in the agitation organised to demand exclusive reservation for Vanniyars, trespassed and squatted on the railway tracks. The PMK cadre pelted stones at the loco-motive of Chennai-bound Ananthapuri Express (Train no 06724) even after it came to a halt between Vandalur and Perungulathur.
File photo
Chennai: A major disaster was avert-ed, courtesy the smart work of loco pilot KM Pandian and his assistant Kannan who had applied the emergency brakes after spotting the mob on the track. Railway sources revealed that the wind-shield and headlight of the locomotive was damaged due to the stone pelting incident. The train resumed its journey after railway police cleared the tracks around 7.55 pm.
A railway officer who saw the footage of the rail roko described the incident as a close shave and said the locomotive was in motion even a few feet ahead of the workers. “Even if someone had stumbled on the track or the locomotive stopped a few paces later, there could have an undesirable incident. Such reckless people don’t realize the seriousness. Train is not like a bus or car. It cannot be stopped abruptly,” he added.
Political commentators also condemned the violence during the protest. “Though PMK has the right to protest demanding exclusive reservation for Vanniyars, use of violence is severely condemnable and the state should take stringent action against the protesters. Damage to public properties cannot be agreed upon in any protest,” political critic Raveenthran Duraisamy, told DT Next.
As the PMK protesters tried to enter Chennai they were blocked at the out-skirts of Chennai resulting in altercation, road roko and stone pelting on trains and public properties in which there was damages. Railway police and Railway Protection Force had filed two separate cases on 350 PMK cadre for damaging trains. Meanwhile, the hashtag #socialjustice4vanniyar trended in social media right from the morning and there were many who criticised the protests for its violence.
A railway officer who saw the footage of the rail roko described the incident as a close shave and said the locomotive was in motion even a few feet ahead of the workers. “Even if someone had stumbled on the track or the locomotive stopped a few paces later, there could have an undesirable incident. Such reckless people don’t realize the seriousness. Train is not like a bus or car. It cannot be stopped abruptly,” he added.
Political commentators also condemned the violence during the protest. “Though PMK has the right to protest demanding exclusive reservation for Vanniyars, use of violence is severely condemnable and the state should take stringent action against the protesters. Damage to public properties cannot be agreed upon in any protest,” political critic Raveenthran Duraisamy, told DT Next.
As the PMK protesters tried to enter Chennai they were blocked at the out-skirts of Chennai resulting in altercation, road roko and stone pelting on trains and public properties in which there was damages. Railway police and Railway Protection Force had filed two separate cases on 350 PMK cadre for damaging trains. Meanwhile, the hashtag #socialjustice4vanniyar trended in social media right from the morning and there were many who criticised the protests for its violence.
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