By PTI
LUCKNOW: Barring stray protests at railway tracks at some places, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha’s six-hour ‘Rail Roko’ stir over Lakhimpur Kheri violence failed to create any significant impact in Uttar Pradesh on Monday.
The farmers protested briefly at some places of the state.
There was heavy police deployment in and around railway stations, but trains stopped briefly at few stations, railway officials said.
Trains were halted at Meerut and Greater Noida’s Dankaur stations by the protesters, BKU media in-charge Dharmendra Malik said.
In Ghaziabad’s Modinagar, they agitated in front of a goods train which had already reached its destination.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) workers halted the Amritsar-Delhi and the Jalandhar Express trains by staging a dharna on rail tracks.
The BKU workers also staged a token demonstration at the Raya Station in Mathura, officials said, adding that they later vacated the railway tracks.
Meanwhile, peace prevailed in Lakhimpur Kheri, the site of the October 3 violence.
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The railways had suspended train movement in the region, with the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) also withdrawing its agitation there.
Amandeep Singh Sandhu, BKU district president, told PTI that in “view of the prevailing situation in Kheri, the SKM had cancelled the ‘rail roko’ agitation in the district”.
“Also, the untimely rains and heavy winds had hit the paddy crops in the district and farmers are busy managing the crop the railways has also suspended the movement of trains in Kheri, hence, it (agitation) was of no use there,” he said.
The farmers’ body had given the call for nationwide rail roko andolan’ to demand the dismissal and arrest of Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra to ensure justice in the Lakhimpur Kheri case.
Ashish Mishra, son of Ajay Mishra, was arrested in connection with the case on October 9.
Shivam Sharma, PRO, North Central Railway (NCR) said farmers stopped the Gomti Express for two to three minutes at the Khurja Railway Station.
The protesters, however, left after being persuaded by the police.
In Jhansi, the farmers demonstrated for around 10 minutes at the Dabra Station and between Gohad and Malanpur stations.
They later left after being asked by the police, he said.
Similarly at two places between Mathura-Palwal of Agra Division, the farmers demonstrated at the railway gate and also near the Rundhi Station.
ALSO READ: Not received any report of disturbance, say Delhi Police on Farmers’ ‘rail roko’ stir
Sharma said there was no loss of railway property.
“In Lucknow, police were deployed in large numbers at Utrathia and Alamnagar railway stations. The security personnel prevented the farmers from entering the stations,” Lucknow Police Commissioner D K Thakur said.
He said elaborate security arrangements have been made outside all railway stations of the state capital, and farmers were stopped before reaching the stations.
Kanpur Police Commissioner Aseem Arun said there was no impact of the farmers’ agitation in Kanpur as tight security arrangements were maintained as a precautionary measure.
The SKM, leading the movement against the Centre’s new agricultural laws, had in a statement said that the agitation of the farmers would be intensified till there was justice in the Lakhimpur Kheri case.
It had also said that trains would be stopped from 10 am to 4 pm on Monday during the ‘Rail Roko’ protest.
“A nationwide rail roko andolan to demand the dismissal and arrest of Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra to ensure justice in the Lakhimpur Kheri case will be held on October 18,” it had said.
Eight people, including four farmers, died in the violence on October 3.
The four farmers were allegedly knocked down by a vehicle carrying BJP workers.
Angry farmers then allegedly lynched some people in the vehicles.
The other dead included two BJP workers and their driver.
Farmers have claimed that Ashish Mishra was in one of the vehicles, an allegation denied by him and Ajay Mishra, who say they can produce evidence to prove he was at an event at that time.
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