Examinees go on rampage at New Jalpaiguri station, ransack trains

Tension ran high at New Jalpaiguri and Malda railway stations on Sunday morning after job-seekers who had come to the state to appear for the Group D examination went on a rampage, ransacking some portions of the stations and breaking the window panes of long distance trains and diesel engines.

The incident led to the disruption of train services in the Eastern and North-Eastern parts. Many long distance trains were stranded at various stations following the agitation. Police had to resort to lathi charge to bring the situation under control but they failed to pacify the mob. Passengers travelling by various long distance trains were inconvenienced due to the agitation.

The first incident took place at New Jalpaiguri station on Sunday morning when a mob set a tyre on fire, demanding a special train. As the railways did not announce a special train, hundreds of candidates who were stranded at the station started to agitate. Soon the situation turned violent when the candidates started damaging portions of platforms three and four at New Jalpaiguri station. They tried to set the station on fire. Window panes of the air-conditioned compartments of various long distance trains were ransacked by the mob. The passengers traveling in trains were frightened by the incident.

Thousands of job aspirants from Bihar had appeared in the Group D examination conducted by the Bengal government on Saturday but they could not return home as they had no reservation tickets. As a result, they urged the railway officials to run a special train on Saturday evening so that they could reach home. As no arrangements were made for the candidates from neighbouring states, they became angry and demonstrations.

The irate job-seekers claimed that they were trying to board a train but Railway Protection Force (RPF) jawans stopped them from boarding the train and this prompted them to organise the protest. The candidates also alleged that despite knowing that a large number of candidates came here to appear for the Group-D examination, no special arrangements for a special train were made.

A huge contingent of police force and RPF jawans were deployed to bring the situation under control.

The agitation was later lifted after senior railway officials assured them that they were trying to arrange a special train for the candidates from other states.

A similar incident took place at Malda station on Saturday morning when the job-seekers ransacked the window panes of Delhi-bound Brahmaputra Mail after the RPF jawans did not allow them to board the train. This led to a heated altercation between the examinees and the RPF jawans.

The RPF and railway police had to resort to lathi-charge to disperse the mob. Some of the examinees as well as other passengers received injuries during the lathi charge. The RPF officials, however, denied that there was any lathi-charge.