Violence at Bhusawal Station Disrupts Bengal Unity Day Journey

A violent incident at Bhusawal railway station in Maharashtra has disrupted the journey of participants from West Bengal who were headed to Vadodara in Gujarat for the National Unity Day celebrations. Several people were injured after they were allegedly attacked by hawkers on Friday.

Bhusawal Railway Police have registered a complaint and detained several people for questioning. The police said the investigation is continuing.

A special train carrying 99 people from Jhargram district in West Bengal was on its way to Vadodara. The district administration had selected the group to take part in the celebrations.

Nirmalendu Mahato, a resident of Jhargram and a member of the group, said the train stopped at Bhusawal and some passengers got off to walk on the platform. He said he had bought bananas with his daughter. She went back to the coach to keep them, while he stayed on the platform and began recording a video of the station.

He said recording the station was a routine activity, given the popularity of Bhusawal and its bananas. According to him, an elderly man came up and asked him to stop. When he asked for a reason, several others gathered nearby.

Mahato said he tried to send his daughter back to the train as the situation escalated, but he was pushed from behind. Other members of the group protested, and a minor clash followed. Officials and police personnel travelling with the group attempted to calm the situation.

He further alleged that the same man returned with more than 20 people and launched an attack. He said at least a dozen people in his group suffered injuries to their faces, shoulders, backs and other parts of their bodies.

All members eventually got back onto the train and contacted the Railway Protection Force. The injured were treated at the next station, where another complaint was registered with the railway police. After arriving in Vadodara, they underwent a medical check-up.

On the evening of October 30, a senior police officer from Bhusawal reached Vadodara and recorded the victims' accounts. A DSP from the West Bengal Police, who was part of the travelling group, also described the incident to officials.

Mahato said he was informed that seven suspects have been identified and detained, and further action against others will be taken as the investigation moves forward.

A senior police official said those involved were reportedly illegal hawkers, against whom Central Railway has been conducting a drive for the last few months. Hundreds of such hawkers have been removed from various stations in the region, but they often return.

The official said there is a preliminary apprehension that the accused became alarmed when they realised their activities were being recorded, which led them to attack the passengers.

Although the probe is still underway, the incident has affected the enthusiasm of participants who were travelling to take part in the national programme.