Security tightened; Narela station trainless for 4 hrs

New Delhi: The Narela railway station in Delhi was witness to an unusual sight on Thursday — hundred-odd police personnel and about 20 people dotted its platforms but none were expecting a train anytime soon.

With farmers blocking tracks in different parts of Punjab and Haryana as part of their "rail roko" agitation against the Centre's three farm laws, no train arrived at the Narela station post noon.

According to a senior police officer, the trains scheduled to arrive at Narela were stopped by the protesting farmers in Haryana's Sonepat.

"Jhelum Express passed the station in the morning, and no train arrived after that," the police officer said.

He added that approximately 100 personnel drawn from the local police and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have been deployed at the railway station to respond to any eventuality during the agitation.

Station Superintendent H S Tyagi said, "One train coming from Bathinda (in Punjab) that was scheduled to arrive here at 11:30 hours has been stopped somewhere before Sonepat, and other trains coming from Kurukshetra, Panipat and Ambala, will be affected. Things are expected to go back to normal after 4 pm when the farmers call off their rail roko event."

He, however, said the "rail roko" has not affected passenger movement at Narela and the number of people arriving and departing the station was more or less similar.

The Delhi Police on Thursday tightened security in several parts of the national capital, especially near railway tracks, in view of the "rail roko" (rail blockade) protest.

According to a senior police officer, additional staff has been deployed at several points near railway tracks and patrolling has also been increased.

Though there is no information on whether rail blockades will take place inside the national capital, police have made adequate security arrangements, another officer said.

The railways have deployed 20 additional companies of the Railway Protection Special Force across the country, with a focus on Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, in the wake of the "rail roko" call.

And the entry and exits at four metro stations, including at the Tikri border, one of the epicentres of the farmers' agitation, were shut by the DMRC authorities for nearly four hours on Thursday in view of the security situation due to the rail roko.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) tweeted to inform the commuters about the closure of entry and exit at these four stations.

After about four hours, the DMRC tweeted again to inform the commuters that the four stations were reopened.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions spearheading the protest, had announced the rail blockade last week to press for its demand for a repeal of the laws. The SKM had said the blockade will be held across the country from 12 noon to

4 pm.