Rail roko: Day three claims another life
23 Feb 2016 1:03 AM GMT
The rail blockade that has been continuing for three consecutive days at New Cooch Behar railway station turned ugly on Monday after another person died.
The victim, Khem Bahadur Chhetri was a resident of Haflong in Assam. He was travelling in Lamding Express. The train had reached Alipurduar at around 4 am on Monday. While standing at the overcrowded station, he suddenly fell ill.
According to a Railway official Chetri had suffered a heart attack in station. He was declared brought dead after being taken to the hospital. The incident has triggered resentment among the passengers who were stranded in the station. On Sunday another passenger, Binay Kumar who was travelling in down Kanchangunjha Express fell ill and later died before it had reached Alipurduar. Thakur was returning to his home town at Kishangunge in Bihar along with his wife on Saturday. He used to run a saloon in Guwahati. They boarded the train from Guwahati and it reached Alipurduar after 1 pm on Sunday he was found dead. His body was taken to Alipurduar railway hospital.
The train services between Bengal and Assam were completely paralysed due to the rail block at New Cooch Behar station. Greater Cooch Behar Peoples Association (GCPA) put up rail block from Saturday morning with their long standing demand of a separate Greater Cooch Behar state.
Local trains and various long distances trains were cancelled even on Monday while many others were run through different routes.
More than five hundred supporters of GCPA were found squatting on the railway track on Monday. Bangshibadan Burman the leader of GCPA said that the rail block will continue till any representatives from the centre come and gives them assurances to look into their demand. Passengers who were stranded at various railway stations in North Bengal expressed their dissatisfaction as the Railways did not take any measure to lift the blockade.
The agitation continues even after the Railway minister Suresh Prabhu had urged the protestors to lift the movement.
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