Shramik Train Passengers Protest Over Scarcity of Food & Water

The passengers threw stones and brickbats to protest the poor arrangements.

As the train made a stop at the Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao station on 23 May, Saturday, the passengers got off the train and hurled brickbats and stones.

(Photo: PTI)

Passengers of a Bihar-bound Shramik Special train allegedly resorted to hurling brickbats to protest the scarcity of food and water in the train, PTI reported.

The passengers reportedly complained that their train, which was headed towards Darbhanga from Bengaluru, had no arrangements for food and water over the course of the journey.

As the train made a stop at the Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao station on Saturday, 23 May, the passengers got off the train and hurled pieces of bricks and stones.

Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel pacified the passengers and the train continued journey, the report said.

Unnao District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said the station master was directed to provide potable water for the passengers.

The government has run close to 800 Shramik Special trains and scarcity of food and water has been a common complaint on them.

Clashes similar to the one in Unnao, broke out in West Bengal’s Asansol Railway station, earlier in May 14, according to a report on NDTV, when a train from Bangalore made a technical halt and passengers hopped off, complaining of no food, dirty toilets.

The report also quoted passengers of another train bound for Bihar from Vishakhapatnam complaining,“We have got no food for two days. We were forced to pay Rs 1,500 each for this journey.”

(With inputs from PTI)