Railway employees thrashed while trying to evict hawkers

Four railway staff members including three engineers were injured among which one is stated to be in critical condition and were admitted to Baruipur hospital after the agitated mob beat them up at the station. 

The incident prompted the railway officials to postpone the eviction process for indefinite period. Kamal Ghosh, an employee has been seriously injured and was admitted to Baruipur Hospital.

A senior section engineer Samar Ghosh received injuries on his head and back while trying to intervene and settle the quarrel. He has been admitted to the BR Singh Hospital.

The railway authorities had to postpone the evacuation process. Tension ran high among the commuters who were travelling in the train and were standing at the station after they found that a scuffle broke out between the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and the hawkers, who run various stalls at the station. The situation turned ugly when hundreds of hawkers became furious and attacked the RPF personnel and the railway staff members who were just a few in number.

At the time of chaos some people reportedly hurled bombs outside the Baruipur station, triggering panic among the passengers. Huge contingent of police force rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.

Assistant engineer Sealdah TS Mina who had visited the spot said they had sent notice to the hawkers for repeated times to evacuate place but they turned a deaf ear to it. 

The railway authorities also informed the local police administration but they did not extend any co-operation. Mina was also injured in the incident.

The leaders of the hawkers’ union have, however, said that the Railway authorities had started the eviction process on Saturday morning without a prior intimation.They said that they would not leave the place without a proper rehabilitation from the railways. 

A senior leader of the hawkers’ union said that the matter was taken up by the Speaker Biman Banerjee with the General Manager of the Eastern Railways who had agreed to provide a rehabilitation and license to the hawkers. But a section of railways officials were trying to forcibly evict the hawkers who will turn jobless following the incident, he said.

Meanwhile, ADG, Anuj Sharma said that the Railway employees did not take any permission from the state government or the police before carrying out the operation.