At least six police personnel were injured during a violent protest by members of the Kurmi community, who blocked railway tracks at the Kotshila station in Purulia district on Saturday morning demanding Scheduled Tribe status.
A source said some protesters were also injured when the police resorted to a lathicharge and used tear gas to disperse the mob.
“A few police personnel were injured and several protesters were detained. Police removed the protesters from the tracks within half an hour of the blockade beginning,” said Purulia district police chief Avijit Banerjee.
Members of the Kurmi community, under the banner of the Adivasi Kurmi Samaj, had earlier called for a blockade of the railway station in Purulia to press for their long-standing demand for the ST status.
However, on Thursday, a Calcutta High Court division bench headed by Justice Sujoy Paul directed both the state and Indian Railways to make a joint effort to ensure that the rail and raasta roko programme called by the Kurmi Samaj did not hamper the smooth movement of vehicles and the running of passenger and goods trains on September 20. Following the order, the state police made it clear they would use force if any group attempted to obstruct train services or road traffic.
Despite this, hundreds of protesters gathered at the Kotshila station on Saturday morning and blocked the tracks. The police immediately moved in to clear the blockade.
“The protesters started throwing bricks and stones at the police, prompting the cops to open tear gas shells and resort to a lathicharge,” said a source.
In a bulletin, South Eastern Railways authorities informed that, following the agitation by the Kurmi community, 30 local and express trains were cancelled, nine passenger trains were diverted to different routes, and 21 trains were run on shortened routes.