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Passengers run riot

NT Bureau
Chennai, Sept 16:

        The Tiruninravur railway station on the city's outskirts is normally a place where calm prevails. However, this morning, the railway station was witness to a passengers' protest, which turned violent and saw a police lathicharge sending the protestors scurrying for cover.

        Apparently unhappy with the EMUs from Arakkonam and Tiruttani being run on the 'slow track,' despite fare for 'fast trains' being levied, a group of around 200 passengers squatted on the track near the Tiruninravur station at around 8.45 a.m. The protestors said that the decision to run the 'fast EMUs on the slow track' led to inordinate delay in their reaching Chennai Central. The irate passengers sat on the track and blocked the Arakkonam-Chennai Central EMU, following which senior police officials rushed the scene to pacify them. The efforts of the police personnel went in vain as the protestors urged the railway officials to take steps to solve their problems.

        As time passed, they hardened their stance and refused to budge from the place. They placed iron rods on the tracks in order to ensure that there was no movement of trains in the section.

        With the number of protestors increasing by the minute, the stir took a turn for the worse. They turned violent and went on the rampage. A group of around 600 protesting passengers set a two-wheeler belonging to the RPF and later broke the lights and fans inside the EMU that was 'trapped.'

        Later, the Chengalpet DSP arrived at the scene of the trouble in a bid to defuse the tension.

        Amidst mounting tension, the agitated passengers spilled over to the nearby market and attacked the shops. With the situation threatening to go out of control, police personnel resorted to a lathicharge in a bid to quell the protest.

        Normalcy returned to the station at around 12.45 p.m. The Arakkonam-Chennai Central EMU which was 'detained' at Tiruninravur left at around 12.45 p.m after a delay of around four hours.

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