Several trains cancelled, short-terminated

RAIL ROKO STIR
Ludhiana: Several trains to and fro Ludhiana railway station were cancelled or short-terminated due to the “rail roko andolan” of farmers’ union on Monday. Commuters faced a harrowing time, as most of them were unaware about it. The worst hit were the passengers aboard trains stopped at the railway station till the evening. Though the agitation was from 10am to 4pm, the trains in transit were able to leave the stations only after the railway authorities ensured the tracks were clear.
In the morning, dozens of protesters stormed Ludhiana railway station and sat on the tracks with flags of farmer unions. Addressing the protesters, a farm union leader said, “The heinous killing of four innocent farmers and a journalist at Lakhimpur Kheri has shocked the entire country. This was a planned murder of peacefully protesting farmers and an attempt to scare the millions of other farmers to stop their agitation. Though son of Union minister Ajay Mishra has been arrested, Mishra, who too is responsible for the killings, should also be removed from his post and arrested so that a fair inquiry can be conducted.”
A woman passenger aboard Mumbai-bound Paschim Express, which was halted at the Ludhiana railway station, said, “If we knew about the ‘rail roko’ protest, we would have cancelled our plan to travel to Faridabad. Common man should not be made to suffer like this.”